This Ingredient Can Cause Gut Inflammation, According To One Study

And now, a study1 shows eating too much of one ingredient can trigger a specific type of inflammation in the gut. What's that ingredient? One word: sugar.

Using a model of the human colon, researchers observed the direct effects of a high-sugar diet on the function of ISCs and TAs. What they found is that high-sugar conditions directly sabotaged the function of these cells and led to "massive irreparable damage that was independent of the colonic microbiota and its metabolites." This caused a huge amount of inflammation in the colon, called colitis. 

Thanks to this study, we not only know that sugar is associated with gut inflammation, but we also know that sugar directly harms gut health by way of these specific cells (ISCs and TAs) that play a major role in intestinal lining repair.

Of course, this study used models of the human intestines rather than real people. But we can take this study as a reminder that our gut health is something that needs our care and attention, and there are a lot of ways we can start providing that attention today: 

If sugar disrupts the microbiome by feeding bad bacteria, probiotics are the best way to start inoculating the gut with the good bacteria you need to restore balance. Try starting with one of these nine probiotic supplements. 

They feast on fibers found in mostly plant-based foods. If you want to give your good bugs the healthiest life possible, make sure you're getting plenty of diverse plant-based foods every day. You can also read about our favorite fiber supplements.

If we've learned anything from this study, it's that sugar doesn't do your gut any favors. And unfortunately, the average American adult consumes 17 teaspoons of added sugars a day. If you're ready to say goodbye to the sweet stuff, here are the nine best tricks for quitting sugar. 

A new study shows that a high-sugar diet creates inflammation in the gut by impairing the function of different cells there. To protect your gut from sugar, eat more diverse high-fiber foods, limit sugar, and take a probiotic.