Which bread is better for you?

Over the recent years there have been many debates on the topic of breads and which kind of breads – standard white bread or the other more “healthier versions – are better.

However a new study shows that no particular type of bread is better than the other and that it really depends on the microbes living in our intestines.

In this study, the scientists performed a randomized crossover trial of two 1-week-long dietary interventions which comprised of consuming either traditionally made sourdough-leavened whole-grain bread or industrially made white bread.

Averaging the results of 20 people who participated in this study, researchers found no significant effect of bread type on various parameters including changes in blood sugar levels.

However, when the scientists examined each person’s response to bread individually they found variability.

The blood sugar levels in some participants increased more after eating white bread compared with sourdough bread and for others the opposite was true.

The scientists analysed the participants’ genetic makeup along with a variety of microbes in stool samples from each person. Based on this analysis the researchers could predict each person’s reaction to a particular type of bread based on which microbes were present in the stool – particularly the amounts of two types of bacteria called Coprobacter fastidiosus and Lachnospiraceae bacterium 3_1_46FAA.

However, the researchers are not sure how the bacteria change blood sugar levels.

According to this study nutritional advice should be personalised as each person’s reacts differently to the same kinds of food depending on the microbes present in the gut – what is good for one may not be good for another.

What you choose to consume – white or the healthier varieties of breads- and whether it’s good for you depends entirely on what grows in your gut.

Source: Cell Metabolism