Transit time of Food is Key to Digestive Health, Claims New Study

Food transit time, the total time it takes for food to travel through the human gut, is thought to be a key factor is maintaining a healthy digestive system.

“In short, our study shows that the longer food takes to pass through the colon, the more harmful bacterial degradation products are produced.” Explains Tine Rask Licht, supervisor and professor at the National Food Institute, “When the transit time is shorter, we find a higher amount of the substances that are produced when the colon renews its inner surface, which may be a sign of a healthier intestinal wall.”

 

Food has to travel through eight meters of intestine from the time it enters the mouth of an adult person until it comes out the other end. Other recent research has focused mainly on the influence of the bacterial composition of the gut, rather than transit time.

 

”We believe that a rich bacterial composition in the gut is not necessarily synonymous with a healthy digestive system, if it is an indication that food takes a long time to travel through the colon,” Tine Rask Licht says.

 

The study also revealed that transit time is a key factor in the activity of the intestinal bacteria and this emphasizes the importance of preventing constipation, which may have an impact on health.

 

These findings can help researchers better understand diseases where constipation is considered a risk factor, such as colorectal cancer and Parkinson’s disease as well as afflictions where constipation often occurs such as ADHD and autism.

 

Tine Rask Licht also emphasizes that consumers dietary habits can influence transit time, and therefore overall gut health. ”You can help food pass through the colon by eating a diet rich in fibre and drinking plenty of water,”

 

“It may also be worth trying to limit the intake of meat, which slows down the transit time and provides the gut bacteria with lots of protein to digest. Physical activity can also reduce the time it takes for food to travel through the colon.”