By causing positive changes in the gut microbiota, fiber supplementation may relieve brain inflammation caused by this cancer treatment.
- In mice, fiber supplementation significantly changed the composition of the intestinal microbiota.
- These positive changes in the gut helped reduce inflammation in the area of the brain responsible for memory.
- Now, Australian researchers want to launch clinical trials to find out if the results are similar in humans.
Diarrhea, hair loss, nausea, joint pain, fatigue… The side effects of chemotherapy are numerous. Among the reactions, we also find brain inflammation. The latter is associated with a range of neuropsychological problems, including cognitive impairment, depression, anxiety and fear of cancer recurrence.
“The use of microbial therapies has not yet been studied in this context. Therefore, we sought to examine the effect of a high-fiber diet known to modulate the microbiota and its metabolome (the set of metabolites ) associated with neuroinflammation caused by the chemotherapeutic agent (5-FU)”indicated Australian researchers.
Microbiota: short-chain fatty acids reduce inflammation linked to chemotherapy
For the purposes of their work, published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity, they conducted an experiment on 24 female mice that were treated with the chemotherapeutic agent (5-FU). Some rodents were fed a high-fiber diet for a week before treatment and until the end of the study. Next, the scientists collected their feces and carried out 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
According to the results, dietary fiber affects the microbiota by increasing the number of good microbes that produce anti-inflammatory metabolites, called “short-chain fatty acids.” These short-chain fatty acids can enter the bloodstream and decrease inflammation throughout the body, including in the brain. In details, “fiber reduced inflammation in the region of the brain responsible for memory by up to 50%. (…) Fiber supplementation is such a simple intervention that can be implemented easily and inexpensively”said Dr. Courtney Cross, author of the research, in a statement.
“Fiber intake could ‘alleviate’ the burden associated with all neuropsychological symptoms”
“We seek to improve the lives of people living with and beyond cancer in any way possible, because in addition to receiving acute treatment, patients often undergo long-term chemotherapy to prevent cancer recurrence, which “has a significant impact on their quality of life. We are optimistic that increasing fiber intake could potentially provide relief by alleviating the burden associated with all neuropsychological symptoms with a single intervention.” she added.
Scientists are currently working on, and aim to launch, clinical trials to determine whether fiber supplementation has the same benefits for humans.
