Published in the journal Gut, this study looked at how often people open their bowels (stool frequency) – a simple way of estimating how quickly food moves through the gut. The researchers analysed genetic data from more than 268,000 people of European and East Asian ancestry. They found that stool frequency is partly inherited, meaning genes play a modest but real role. The genetic patterns linked to bowel frequency were also connected to digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), as well as to some mental health and cardiovascular conditions.
One of the most striking discoveries was a previously unrecognised role for vitamin B1 (thiamine) in gut motility. The researchers pinpointed two genes, SLC35F3 (which helps transport thiamine into cells) and XPR1 (which plays a role in activating thiamine), as key players. In nearly 100,000 people from UK Biobank research data, higher dietary intake of vitamin B1 was strongly linked to more frequent bowel movements, and this effect varied depending on a person’s genetic make-up. The findings suggest that vitamin B1 metabolism and other modifiable biological pathways could become targets for future treatments of IBS and related bowel disorders.
To read about research suggesting that vitamin D deficiency may be a key factor in IBS, see this article on our website.
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Vitamin B1 supplementation has emerged as a potential tool to manage irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional constipation in a multi-ancestry study.
[Source: nutraingredients.com]
[Image source: Freepik.com]
Comment
Published in the journal Gut, this study looked at how often people open their bowels (stool frequency) – a simple way of estimating how quickly food moves through the gut. The researchers analysed genetic data from more than 268,000 people of European and East Asian ancestry. They found that stool frequency is partly inherited, meaning genes play a modest but real role. The genetic patterns linked to bowel frequency were also connected to digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), as well as to some mental health and cardiovascular conditions.
One of the most striking discoveries was a previously unrecognised role for vitamin B1 (thiamine) in gut motility. The researchers pinpointed two genes, SLC35F3 (which helps transport thiamine into cells) and XPR1 (which plays a role in activating thiamine), as key players. In nearly 100,000 people from UK Biobank research data, higher dietary intake of vitamin B1 was strongly linked to more frequent bowel movements, and this effect varied depending on a person’s genetic make-up. The findings suggest that vitamin B1 metabolism and other modifiable biological pathways could become targets for future treatments of IBS and related bowel disorders.
To read about research suggesting that vitamin D deficiency may be a key factor in IBS, see this article on our website.
Dr. Rath Health Foundation
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