Study links the consumption of fibre to epigenetic changes with anti-cancer effects

Short-chain fatty acids play an important role in the maintenance of gut and metabolic health. Short-chain fatty acids are a by-product of the fermentation process that occurs when fibre is broken down in the gut.

A new study from Stanford Medicine published in Nature Metabolism has identified the epigenetic effects of two common by-products of fibre digestion that appear to have anti-cancer actions. The researchers looked at how the two most common short-chain fatty acids propionate and butyrate, altered gene expression in both healthy human cells and in human colon cancer cells. Short-chain fatty acids that result from fibre digestion can travel all over the body including the brain.