Fasting would protect against food poisoning

According to one investigation carried out by Public Health France between 2008 and 2013, food poisoning affects approximately 1.5 million people each year and leads to more than 17,000 hospitalizations and 200 deaths. The main causes of infections are viral, but salmonella, bacteria, is the first cause of death and the second cause of hospitalization. Often, patients infected with this bacterium have gastroenteritis. The incubation period is generally one to two days and depends on the dose of bacteria ingested, the health of the person and the characteristics of the strain of salmonella. Among the most common symptoms are fever, diarrheathe vomiting but also the abdominal pain.

The intestinal microbiota impacted in the event of foodborne infection

According to a brand new study published in the journal PLOS, fasting before and during exposure to salmonella would protect mice against developing an infection due to this bacterium. This phenomenon comes from the changes produced by fasting in the intestinal microbiota. The latter is a part of the intestine where a whole set of micro-organisms live: bacteria, viruses, parasites and non-pathogenic fungi. It influences a large part of the body, such as the immune system, the brain, the cardiovascular system or the bone system. Obviously, in the event of food poisoning, the intestinal microbiota is directly impacted.

Fasting Reduces Symptoms of Salmonella Infections…

To reach their conclusion, the researchers fasted mice for 48 hours, before and while they were infected with the salmonella bacteria orally. Results: The signs of this bacterial infection decreased in mice that did not eat, compared to those that were fed. Scientists have even noticed that almost all of the damage and inflammation of the intestinal tissues is eliminated. But when the rodents were re-fed, there was a dramatic increase in the number of salmonella bacteria in their gut walls. On the other hand, the associated inflammation was always attenuated. Finally, when the scientists used another method – exposing the mice to salmonella intravenously – the results were not the same: even if they were fasting, these rodents had no reduction in their symptoms. .

… but also due to bacteria Campylobacter jejuni

The scientists conducted the same experiments with another bacterium called Campylobacter jejuni. This is responsible for the campylobacteriosis, an infection of the intestine which can cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, etc. According to this study, fasting would have the same virtues to limit the infection of the Campylobacter jejuni. “These data suggest that therapeutic fasting or dietary restriction can positively influence infectious and even non-infectious gastrointestinal diseases.“, say the researchers.

Hope for new treatment

“Our research highlights the important role food plays in regulating interactions between pathogens and a patient’s gut microbiome.conclude the authors. When food is limited, the microbiome appears to guard the nutrients that are ingested, preventing pathogens from accessing them and finding the energy they need to infect the person. Although more research is needed, fasting or adjusting food intake could be therapeutically exploited in the future to manage infectious diseases.s”.