A new study found that people with painful, symptomatic diverticulosis had clear differences in their gut microbiome - and it’s not good news.
Researchers compared stool samples from people with symptomatic diverticulosis, people with diverticulosis but no ongoing symptoms, and healthy controls.
The symptomatic group had lower overall microbiome diversity, higher levels of one potentially problematic bacteria group, and lower levels of bacteria that help produce butyrate.
Butyrate is one of the short-chain fatty acids that help nourish and protect the gut lining.
(If you use Tummy Fiber, you’ll recognize that word because one of the big benefits is that the fiber ferments very slowly in your gut and increases short-chain fatty acid production, including butyrates. That’s the prebiotic effect - it encourages the growth of healthy gut bacteria, and those good guys then keep the bad guys in check.)
The quick takeaway here? Painful diverticulosis symptoms may involve more than the presence of diverticula (the little pockets in the colon wall). Changes in gut bacteria, lower butyrate production, and a weaker gut lining support may all play a role.
And the study adds to the growing evidence that gut symptoms often reflect the whole gut ecosystem, not just one visible structural problem.
And more about the diverticulosis & diverticulitis…
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Heather Van Vorous
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