It is known that an important part of the maternal microbiome is transferred to the baby at birth, and the same happens during the breastfeeding period via breast milk. Further sources were yet to be discovered. However, a team led by Wisnu Adi Wicaksono and Gabriele Berg from the Institute of Environmental Biotechnology at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) has now succeeded in proving that plant microorganisms from fruit and vegetables contribute to the human microbiome. They report this in a study published in the journal Gut Microbes. The authors were able to demonstrate that the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption and the variety of plants consumed influences the amount of fruit- and vegetable-associated bacteria in the human gut. Early childhood in particular represents a window of opportunity for colonization with plant-associated bacteria. It was also demonstrated that the microorganisms of plant origin have probiotic and health-promoting properties. A microbiome is the totality of all microorganisms that colonize a macroorganism (human, animal, plant) or a part of it, for example the intestine or a fruit. While the individual microbiomes are becoming better understood, little is known about their connections.
“The proof that microorganisms from fruits and vegetables can colonize the human gut has now been established for the first time,” explains first author Wisnu Adi Wicaksono.
By Falko Schoklitsch, Graz University of Technology
Article can be accessed on: MedicalXpress