Certain grain proteins tell your liver to make less sugar
Dai Z, Bao X, Jiang H, Zhang Y, Shen Q
Gut Microbiome
The oats and barley you might grow or cook with contain proteins that feed specific gut bacteria, which then send chemical signals all the way to the liver to help regulate blood sugar.
Scientists fed mice proteins from five different grains and found that proteins from highland barley, oats, and quinoa were especially good at improving blood sugar control. The trick was in the gut: these proteins boosted helpful bacteria that produce special molecules from an amino acid called tryptophan, and those molecules traveled through the body to tell the liver to stop overproducing sugar. It's a reminder that what we eat shapes our gut bacteria, and those bacteria can talk directly to our organs.
Key Findings
Proteins from highland barley, oats, and quinoa (but not rice or soybean) significantly improved glucose metabolism in mice fed a high-fat diet.
These proteins increased beneficial gut bacteria (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) and boosted levels of three indole metabolites (IEt, IArA, IAld) derived from tryptophan.
Fecal microbiota transplantation confirmed the effect was microbiota-driven, and the indole metabolites suppressed liver glucose production via the AhR and NLK/FOXO1/PCK1/G6PC signaling pathway.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Proteins from grains like highland barley, oats, and quinoa help control blood sugar by feeding gut bacteria that produce compounds signaling the liver to slow down excess glucose production. This gut-liver connection could offer a diet-based approach to preventing type 2 diabetes.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Grain proteins ameliorate glucose metabolism disorders by activating intestinal AhR and the hepatic NLK/FOXO1 pathway via gut microbiota-derived indole metabolites.
Consumption of gran proteins has been associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Gut microbiota plays a key role in glucose metabolism, and d...
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Highland barley, Tibetan barley or Himalayan barley is the principal cereal cultivated on the Tibetan Plateau, used mainly to make tsampa and liquor (chang).