This is not the first time that scientists have looked into the beneficial effects of eating insects. It is certain that these small – but not very reliable – animals contain a lot of protein, and now new research has also proven that it also affects metabolic processes in a positive way.
We Europeans are not very keen on eating insects, although according to previous research, it would be beneficial to eat more of them. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSL) fed mice a diet containing chitin, which caused the animals’ stomachs to expand and elicit a specific immune response.
The experiments resulted in the production of a unique intestinal enzyme called AMCase, which is necessary for digesting chitin and activating cells that regulate adipose tissue. Current WUSL In his studies Mice fed chitin with a high-fat diet, finally Show better metabolic values Compared to mice fed a chitin-free, high-fat diet. Chitin consumption promotes the development of a healthy microbiome in the lower gastrointestinal tract.
The scientists now hope to extend their findings to human participants.
