Gut bacteria help digest dietary fiber, release antioxidant: study

CHICAGO, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- A study suggests that some species of gut bacteria break down the fiber in such a way that it not only becomes digestible, but releases ferulic acid, an important antioxidant with multiple health benefits

The researchers at the University of Illinois (UI), the University of Michigan (UM) and Mie University in Japan studied the genomes and digestive activity of bacteria in the intestine, and found that a group of Bacteroides bacteria have several enzymes that break down arabinoxylans, some of which had not been seen or catalogued before. One enzyme the group discovered is so active that it cuts off any ferulic acid it comes across, releasing large amounts of the antioxidant.