Greens are good for your gut

Why eating greens is good for your gut: Nutrients in veg help good bacteria flourish –  reducing the risk of food poisoning

  • Scientists claim to have found why sprouts and broccoli are so good for us
  • Sugar molecule found in greens provides energy for good bacteria 
  • Good bacteria in the stomach leaves no room for bad ones to grow
  • Discovery could pave the way for new antibiotics to be made in future 

Eat your greens and you will grow up to be big and strong, parents are fond of telling their children.

Scientists believe they have found an extra reason why sprouts and broccoli are so good for us.

A sugar molecule found in cabbage, spinach and other leafy greens has been discovered that helps the good bacteria in our stomachs flourish.

And when good bacteria are plentiful in our stomach, it leaves little room for ‘bad’ bacteria to grow.

Bad bacteria – the horrible bugs that give us stomach aches and worse – can’t get a foothold in the stomach if all the good spaces are taken.

The finding adds to all the reasons greens are great for us – including vitamins, minerals and roughage.

The sugar, called sulfoquinovose, SQ for short, is abundant in nature and is unusual because it is the only sugar that contains sulphur.

But until now it was not known how bacteria could make use of it – the latest discovery has found that bacteria create an enzyme that can break it down.

The research, published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, was led by researchers from Australia and the University of York.