Eating insects improves our metabolism

A recent study from the University of Washington revealed the potential metabolic benefits of consuming insects.

A new study conducted by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, United States, analyzed the effect Chitina polysaccharide found abundantly in the exoskeletons of insects, shells of crustaceans and fungi, is involved in mammalian metabolism.

According to the results of the study, when fed to mice, chitin caused a Immune response With a huge impact on your metabolism.

In the course of the research, mice fed chitin and fed a high-fat diet showed better metabolic behavior than those fed only a high-fat diet.

Chitin-fed mice produced a gut-specific enzyme, AMCase, which is essential for digesting polysaccharides – which laterally activated Cells that regulate adipose tissueThe authors of the study explained, published Last week in Science magazine.

Mice that were blocked from producing AMCase to digest chitin were fed a diet high in fat and chitin. Resistance to weight gain. The researchers noted A Increase in type II innate lymphocytes (ILC2), which plays an important role in regulating adipose tissue.

Eating chitin also appears to boost the health of the microbiome in the lower gastrointestinal tract.

“We have several ways to inhibit chitinases in the stomach. Combining this approach with chitin-rich foods can provide significant metabolic advantages,” he explains. Science Alert Immunologist Steven Van Dykena researcher at the University of Washington and lead author of the study.

The study contradicts previous theories by showing this They are stomach cells Mammals, not intestinal bacteria, produce the enzymes needed to digest chitin.

Before the extinction of the dinosaurs, mammals consumed insects in much higher quantities than they do today. Some studies Suggest These mammals have adapted their metabolism, over time, to digest chitin.

So it seems like it’s time for humans to start including the consumption of this delicious snack – trendy and already arriving in Portugal – in their diet.