Just in case you don’t know: antimicrobial resistance is a situation when bacteria, viruses, and fungi become resistant to antibiotics, so that antibiotics won’t help fighting infectious diseases anymore. This resistance is mostly based in the gut, where the microbes carry genetically encoded ways to survive contact with antibiotics. So can we do something to lower antimicrobial resistance of the microbes in our gut?

It seems that we can. At least, according to a recent small observational study.

Researchers had a closer look at the levels of antibiotic resistance genes in the gut microbes in relation to the participants’ diet, namely to the amount of consumed fiber and animal protein. They found that regularly eating a diet with at least 8-10 gr/d of soluble fiber and avoiding too much protein, especially from beef and pork, significantly lowered the levels of antimicrobial resistance genes of the gut microbes in healthy adults. Here, it is worth mentioning that soluble fiber (found in f.e. grains, legumes, nuts and seeds) was a better predictor of the lower levels of antimicrobial resistance genes, compared to animal protein. Moreover, the diversity of the diet turned to be even more important than fiber in lowering antimicrobial resistance.

Another interesting finding was that people with the lowest levels of antimicrobial resistance genes also had a greater abundance of strict anaerobic microbes, which are an indication of a healthy gut with low inflammation.

All in all, if you want a healthy gut and low antimicrobial resistance, than diversify your diet, add more soluble fiber and eat less animal protein! It might be your secret weapon to stay healthy and avoid antibiotic-resistant infections.

Curious? HERE is the source