Eating crickets and insects is very good for the intestinal tract

According to an initial discovery by an American scientist, in the flesh of crickets and some insects contain ingredients that are good for human intestinal health.

Valerie Stull, Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsi-Madison at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, still remembers the memory of her first time eating insects when Stull was a 12-year-old girl. Now, as a doctor, Valerie Stull has conducted a study of the effects of insects in general and crickets in particular on the microflora of the human gut.

More than 2 billion people around the world regularly consume insects. This is a good source of protein, vitamins, minerals and fats for humans.

More than 2 billion people around the world regularly consume insects.

Co-author Tiffany Weir, professor of food and nutrition science at Colorado State University, said: "This study is important because insects represent a new ingredient in Western diets. and the effect of insects on human health has not yet been discovered, with what we already know about the intestinal microflora and its relationship to human health, it is important to find "A food that can affect the intestinal bacteria population. We find that eating crickets can bring many nutritional benefits."

Cultivating insects as a source of protein not only helps protect the environment but also provides a healthier food option for meat, especially in many countries that have a popular meat diet in the West.

Crickets are like other insects that contain fiber, such as chitin (chitin). This type of fiber is very different from fruits and vegetables. Fiber acts as a food source to nourish the intestinal microflora, even some types of fiber, such as prebiotics, also promote the growth of beneficial bacteria.

Eating crickets helps promote beneficial enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract

Insects are a good source of protein, vitamins, minerals and fats for humans.

To investigate the effects of chitin on the intestinal flora, the team conducted a small six-week trial on 20 healthy men and women between the ages of 18-48.

In the first two weeks, 10 people will eat a set menu and the remaining 10 people will eat a menu containing 25 grams of cricket powder mixed into baked goods. The next two weeks, each participant will eat in a normal mode.

For the last two weeks, people who originally had a meal menu with crickets would be transferred to other diets. Meanwhile, the other group will continue to eat breakfast with rations with crickets.

Previously, the team will collect blood samples, feces and answers from the digestive-related questionnaire in all three phases including the beginning, the first 2 weeks and the last 2 weeks.

Blood samples used to analyze blood glucose and enzymes associated with liver function. While stool samples are used to analyze microbial metabolism in human gut.

Ingredients in cricket meat may help improve intestinal health.

The team did not see any changes or side effects in the digestive system of participants who ate the menu with crickets. In addition, there are no signs of changes in intestinal bacterial composition.

However, they found a significant increase in intestinal metabolic enzymes such as Bifidobacterium animalis and a decline in TNF-alpha , a chronic inflammatory polypeptide and associated with depression and cancer. letter.

However, according to the researchers, they need more work to determine which ingredients in crickets can help improve intestinal health . Stull believes that this research will open the opportunity to develop a more sustainable source of nutrition for humans.

The study of Valerie Stull was published in the recent Scientific Report.