sarahness

Researchers have discovered that Japanese have a special bacteria in their guts to help them digest sushi, but Americans don’t.



Universite Pierre et Marie Curie researchers discovered an enzyme that can breakdown seaweed. And the bacteria thta makes this enzyme is predominantly found in the guts of Japanese people.


When the seaweed chomping bacteria called Bacterioides plebeius breaks down the starch, the person benefits by getting more energy. Unfortunately, people who don’t have the gut bacteria won’t reap the same nutritional benefits from the seaweed.


The scientists detected the bacteria when they were testing the genetic makeup of the bugs found on Porophyra seaweed. Surprisingly, the same eleven genes found in the bugs on the seaweed were also detected in the bacteria isolated from the guts of Japanese people. And none were found in the guts of Americans.


They think that it is possible that the marine genes swapped genetic information with gut bacteria to make it easier for the Japanese to digest the food. In that way, the carbohydrate active enzymes could breakdown the polysaccharides found in plants.