Diet inhibits effects of ulcer-causing agents

RAQUEL DO CARMO SANTOS

Dfter four years of research, nutritionist Luciana Di Pietro Magri found that foods rich in fiber, if consumed one hour before agents that induce or cause gastric or duodenal ulcers, protect the gastrointestinal mucosa. The studies were carried out at the Natural Products Laboratory, at the Unicamp Biology Institute. This diet – which can be based on soluble substances predominantly found in fruits, vegetables and legumes – inhibits, on average, 60% of the harmful effects on the mucous membranes lining the stomach and small intestine (duodenum). Therefore, the nutritionist recommends eating at least one dessert plate of vegetables, one of vegetables and one fruit at each meal. “If you drink alcohol, never do so on an empty stomach,” she advises. Luciana, who focused her research on orange pulp and guar gum (used in the production of ice cream), also recipes for daily consumption of beans.

Researcher used orange gum and pulp

Another factor identified as causing ulcers is stress. In this case, Luciana states that a good diet can be the solution to prevent the lesion from proliferating. In her doctoral work “Diet rich in sources of dietary fiber: effects on the ulcerated gastrointestinal mucosa of rats”, supervised by Professor Alba Regina Monteiro Souza Brito, and co-supervised by Professor Miguel Arcanjo Areas, she clarifies that the incidence of ulcer peptic ulcer – both gastric and duodenal – occurs fundamentally when there is an imbalance between the factors that attack and those that protect the organism.

According to the nutritionist, the aggressor factors include stress, smoking, inadequate diet, alcohol and the use of some types of anti-inflammatories, in addition to the bacteria Helicobacter pylori. The list of protectors includes: bicarbonate, blood flow, prostaglandin – an action that inhibits acid secretion and stimulates the secretion of mucus and bicarbonate – and somastatin, an inhibitor of the hormone gastrin, which stimulates acid secretion. “The imbalance of these factors is widely studied by specialists, as is the use of potentially useful substances against this pathology”, she explains. In addition to direct costs such as hospitalization, medical fees, medications and surgery, there are also indirect costs such as loss of productive capacity and professional earnings.

fiber foods – The nutritionist, with 17 years of experience in diet therapy, carried out her experiments with orange pulp and guar gum, foods with high levels of fiber. Guar gum comes from an Indian plant, whose creamy consistency is used to produce ice cream and jellies. The orange pulp is made up of vesicles that store the juice and the membrane that separates the vesicles into segments. She explains that she had previously worked with these products in studies to analyze the physiological effects in diabetics and, therefore, was familiar with the material.

The methodology applied involved acute treatment with fiber sources prior to the ulcer-inducing agent, in rodents. In the case of ethanol, guar gum inhibited 67% of gastric lesions. By mixing the orange pulp with the gum, the inhibition percentage was 51%. Another agent used in the experiment was indomethacin (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) applied subcutaneously. With the ingestion of guar gum alone, protection was around 81%. Only with the treatment of orange pulp it was 30%, and in the mixture between the two the protection mark rose to 83%. Luciana also found that orange pulp reduced the lesion area in the duodenum by 76% and guar gum reduced the area by 29%.

Treatment tests were also carried out on rodents housed in individual and collective cages. The rats alone in their cages ulcerated much less, with lesions approaching 25 millimeters, while the animals in collective cages had lesions measuring 75 millimeters. This indicates that the stress factor is quite significant for the onset of the disease.