V. cholerae, a bacterial infection, causes cholera. It is one of the major causes of severe diarrhea. Leading to rapid dehydration. Rehydration can be life-saving, but antibiotics canโt always turn out to be ideal due to resistance concerns.
Importance of Diet:
Diet is usually neglected in cholera. A recent study from UC Riverside conducted in mice suggested that specific proteins, especially those rich in milk casein and wheat gluten, can weaken the cholera to a great extent in the gut.
What did researchers do?:
The researchers infected the mice and compared them with three dietary extremes: high fat, high simple carbohydrates and high protein. They measured the V. cholerae growth and colonization in the gut and also evaluated the bacterial infection during the time of infection.
What was found?:
Among the three dietary patterns, it was observed that high-fat diets provided minimal protection and high simple carbohydrate diets offered limited defense, but the high protein diets, particularly rich in milk casein and wheat gluten, eliminated cholera growth in the gut. The mechanism of action behind this, as suggested by the authors, is that the breakdown products of these proteins suppress the type 6 secretion system, a needle-like apparatus V. cholerae uses to attack and establish dominance in the gut.
Interpretation:
This study doesnโt suggest replacing clean water, vaccines, etc. Instead, it inculcates the idea of how nutrition, and perhaps specific protein sources, can become a low-cost, low-resistance risk adjunct.
The next step is careful translation: to confirm that similar benefits are obtained in humans.
Eating strategically could soon strengthen protection against cholera. Could reasonably priced wheat and milk serve as a front-line defense in endemic areas?
MBH/PS