The study found that individuals with high methane-producing gut microbiomes are particularly efficient at extracting extra energy from high-fiber diets. This may help explain why people absorb different amounts of calories from the same foods that reach the colon.

However the researchers emphasized that fiber-rich diets aren’t to blame. While Western diets high in processed foods lead to greater calorie absorption overall regardless of methane levels calorie absorption from high-fiber diets varies depending on how much methane a person produces.

This difference has significant implications for dietary interventions highlighting that individuals can respond differently to the same diet based on their gut microbiome composition said Blake Dirks lead author of the study and a graduate researcher at the Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes. Dirks is also a PhD student at ASU’s School of Life Sciences.

One of the key roles of the gut microbiome is aiding digestion. Microbes break down fiber through fermentation producing short-chain fatty acids that the body uses for energy along with hydrogen as a byproduct. When hydrogen levels get too high this fermentation slows down but certain microbes help by consuming the excess hydrogen.

The human body doesn’t produce methane on its own only microbes do. That’s why we proposed methane could serve as a biomarker indicating efficient microbial production of short-chain fatty acids said Rosy Krajmalnik-Brown corresponding author of the study and director of the Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes.

The study indicates that interactions between gut microbes can influence the body’s metabolism. Researchers found that higher methane production was linked to increased creation and absorption of short-chain fatty acids in the gut.

In collaboration with the AdventHealth Translational Research Institute ASU researchers conducted the experiment using a specialized facility. Each participant spent six days living in a sealed hotel-like environment called a whole-room calorimeter which precisely measured their metabolic activity and methane emissions.

Researchers analyzed blood and stool samples to measure how much energy participants absorbed from their food and to monitor microbial activity. They then compared results between individuals with high and low methane-producing gut microbiomes.

Overall participants absorbed fewer calories on the high-fiber diet compared to the processed-food diet. However those with higher methane production in their gut absorbed more calories from the high-fiber diet than those with lower methane levels.

Source: https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/methane-producing-gut-microbes-unlock-extra-energy-from-high-fiber-diets-400941