Health
Deadly bacterial disease could be stopped with common pantry staple, study suggests
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Cholera can quickly become life-threatening, but the best defense might be sitting in your pantry.
New research from UC Riverside in Southern California reveals that a high-protein diet can effectively “disarm” the bacteria, slash infection levels by 100-fold, and stop the disease in its tracks before it turns fatal.
Published in the journal Cell Host and Microbe, the study found that diets rich in casein, the main protein in milk and cheese, along with wheat gluten, could limit cholera bacteria in the gut.
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Cholera is a bacterial disease spread through contaminated water and food, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease can cause severe diarrhea, dehydration and even death if it goes untreated.
Cholera is a bacterial disease spread through contaminated water and food, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (iStock)
The research team aimed to determine whether harmful bacteria would respond to dietary changes in the same way as other bacteria.
They began by feeding infected mice different foods. Some mice ate high-protein diets, while others ate food high in simple carbohydrates. Others were fed high-fat diets, according to the study’s press release.
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“The high-protein diet had one of the strongest anti-cholera effects compared to a balanced diet – and not all proteins are the same,” said Ansel Hsiao, UCR associate professor and senior author of the study, in the release. “Casein and wheat gluten were the two clear winners.”
Hsiao said he was surprised by the magnitude of the effect. “We saw up to 100-fold differences in the amount of cholera colonization as a function of diet alone,” he noted.
The high-protein diet had one of the strongest anti-cholera effects, the researchers found. (iStock)
The secret lies in the bacteria’s design, the researchers discovered. Cholera uses a microscopic, syringe-like structure to inject toxins into and kill “good” microbes in the gut.
In the study, casein and gluten effectively jammed this “syringe.” Without its primary weapon, cholera wasn’t able to compete.
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The World Health Organization has emphasized that while cholera is preventable and treatable, a global surge in cases has strained the supply of oral cholera vaccines and heightened the need for diversified treatment strategies.
Overreliance on antibiotics can lead to drug-resistant “superbugs,” and while cholera hasn’t yet reached that crisis point, the bacteria’s ability to adapt may reduce the effectiveness of current medications. (iStock)
Overreliance on antibiotics can lead to drug-resistant “superbugs.” While cholera hasn’t yet reached that crisis point, the bacteria’s ability to adapt means current medications could eventually become useless, experts warn.
“Dietary strategies won’t generate antibiotic resistance in the same way a drug might,” Hsiao noted.
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This means food-based prevention could offer a safer, cheaper and more sustainable weapon for vulnerable communities.
“Wheat gluten and casein are recognized as safe in a way a microbe is not, in a regulatory sense, so this is an easier way to protect public health,” Hsiao said.
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The next step, according to the researchers, is to explore the effect of these proteins in humans, given that the major limitation of this study is that it only shows cholera effects in mice.
“The more we can improve people’s diets, the more we may be able to protect them from succumbing to disease.” (iStock)
Because the study is preclinical and there is not yet data on human subjects, Hsiao and his team don’t know how much casein or wheat gluten a person would need to consume to see a protective effect.
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They would also need to test whether the protein must be consumed before exposure to cholera as a preventative measure, or if it can effectively “shut down” an active, mid-stage infection.
“The more we can improve people’s diets, the more we may be able to protect them from succumbing to disease,” Hsiao added.
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A specific gut microbe could help with long-term weight-loss goals.
New research published in the journal Nature Medicine tested whether a pasteurized (not live) gut bacterium, called Akkermansia muciniphila MucT, could help people keep weight off after losing it.
The study enrolled 90 overweight and obese adults from the Netherlands in an eight-week, low-energy diet where they were instructed to lose 8% of their body weight, according to a press release.
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The participants then started a 24-week weight-maintenance phase and were randomly assigned to take either the gut bacterium or a placebo.
People taking Akkermansia regained significantly less weight than those taking the placebo, the study found. (iStock)
People taking Akkermansia regained less weight than those taking the placebo, at an average of 2.6 pounds versus 7.1 pounds — a statistically significant difference, according to the study results.
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The researchers noted that the efficacy of the treatment depends on a person’s existing gut microbiome. There were no serious adverse events reported.
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The study’s short duration and small sample size may not be enough to prove long-term benefits, the team noted. Another limitation is that participants ate whatever they wanted instead of following a standardized diet.
The study enrolled 90 overweight and obese adults from the Netherlands in an eight-week, low-energy diet where they were instructed to lose 8% of their body weight. (iStock)
Dr. Peter Balazs, MD, a hormone and weight loss specialist practicing in New York and New Jersey, called this a “well-designed” trial.
“The finding that a single gut microbe, pasteurized Akkermansia, significantly reduced weight regain is particularly compelling,” the expert, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital. “Most probiotics have demonstrated far less efficacy, making these results especially noteworthy.”
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Balazs pointed out that pasteurized Akkermansia isn’t a live probiotic, but works through “components of the bacteria, particularly a protein called Amuc_1100.”
Akkermansia is “not a miracle pill,” an expert noted, although the study results are promising. (iStock)
“This protein helps strengthen the gut barrier, reduce low-grade inflammation and support healthy metabolic function,” he said. “After weight loss, the body naturally tries to regain fat, but Akkermansia appears to help quiet some of those biological signals, making it easier to maintain results over time.”
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While the study results are promising, the doctor cautioned that Akkermansia is not a miracle pill.
“It helps with maintenance, not initial loss,” he said. “Long-term use is plausible; however, it hasn’t been proven beyond 24 weeks. This does not replace diet, exercise or medical advice.”
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The latest beverage trend is far from clean – and it’s raising red flags with doctors.
Known as a “dirty soda,” it’s a soft drink that also includes a combination of added ingredients, such as flavored syrups, creamers, fruit juices and other garnishes. The result is a sweet beverage that’s a combination of a soda, mocktail and dessert.
Dirty sodas can easily deliver 250-400 calories and 55-70 grams of sugar in a single drink – which is often more than double the American Heart Association’s daily added sugar limit, according to Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian.
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“It’s more like a dessert beverage than a soft drink, even if people use diet soda as the base,” she told Fox News Digital.
The drinks are most dangerous for those with insulin resistance, prediabetes or diabetes, Palinski-Wade warned.
A dirty soda is a soft drink that also includes a combination of added ingredients, such as flavored syrups, creamers, fruit juices and other garnishes. (iStock)
“The combination of rapidly absorbed sugar plus cream can cause sharp blood sugar spikes and crashes, driving hunger, fatigue and higher insulin demands,” she cautioned.
The trend is said to have originated in Utah years ago at a specialty soda shop, Swig, reportedly due to people in the Mormon faith seeking an alternative to coffee. The drink was then popularized by social media and TV shows, such as “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” according to Eater.com.
The dirty soda trend is widely credited to Swig, a Utah-based soda shop founded in 2010. The concept reportedly gained popularity in Utah, where many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints abstain from coffee and alcohol, helping create demand for customizable, non-alcoholic drinks.
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“There are multiple soda shops in most suburbs here,” one Utah resident wrote on Reddit. “I have many coworkers who stop at one daily on their way to work [because] they don’t drink coffee, but will drink dirty sodas.”
Trend goes mainstream
Dirty sodas have recently grown in popularity, appearing on many restaurant menus and grocery store shelves. Coca-Cola has launched its Coca-Cola Cherry Float, which is designed to mimic the soda-and-cream experience, while PepsiCo offers a Dirty Mountain Dew Cream Soda.
McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Sonic and Dunkin are among the fast-food brands that include dirty soda options in their beverage line-ups.
Crumbl recently launched a dirty soda that includes multiple sweet ingredients on top of an already sugary soda base. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Perhaps taking the cake is Crumbl, which recently launched a dirty soda that includes multiple sweet ingredients on top of an already sugary soda base.
“Crumbl needs to be stopped,” Dr. Mark Hyman wrote in a recent social media post. “Their new ‘dirty soda’ contains 186 grams of sugar, the equivalent of eating 19 Krispy Kreme donuts. This is a metabolic disaster and should be illegal.”
Experts warn of health risks
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, echoed the warnings about dirty sodas being “very unhealthy.”
“They are loaded with processed sugar, empty calories and saturated fats,” he told Fox News Digital. “They are also highly addictive, especially because of the high sugar content, and are about 400 calories per serving.”
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Over time, regular consumption of these types of sugary beverages can train the brain to seek repeated dopamine and endorphin releases, Siegel warned. This can increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, dementia and other chronic illnesses.
An employee prepares a dirty soda at Floso, a drink shop in Salem, Oregon, in July 2024. (Abigail Dollins/Statesman Journal)
Tanya Freirich, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Charlotte, North Carolina, echoed that daily added sugars increase the risk of obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
“Additionally, the creamy mix-ins featured in dirty sodas are generally high in saturated fat, another nutrient that should be consumed in limited amounts,” Freirich told Fox News Digital.
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“If you’re looking for a mocktail or fun non-alcoholic beverage, consider using a base of plain seltzer water for a bubbly drink,” she recommended. “Even with the same add-ins, your end result will contain considerably less sugar, but still taste sweet.”
An orange dirty soda is displayed at the Ross County Fair in Ross County, Ohio. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Kenneth J. Perry, M.D., an emergency physician in Charleston, South Carolina, also noted that dirty sodas represent a continuation of the trend toward highly sugary beverages.
“Their effects are short-lived, prompting individuals to consume excessive amounts,” he warned. “This combination of low nutritional value, high sugar content and poor satiety can have significant health implications.”
Each additional highly sugary beverage consumed daily increases the risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease, Perry cautioned.
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The World Health Organization recommends limiting free sugars – such as those found in beverages with added sugar – to less than 10% of total daily energy consumption, the doctor noted.
“Beverages with added sugar are one of the most easily modifiable risk factors for various downstream health issues,” Perry added.
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For those who do decide to try the dirty soda trend, Palinski-Wade recommends choosing a small size, using a diet soda base and limiting it to a rare treat.
“It really belongs in the same category as a cake or a milkshake – occasionally, and in smaller portions.”
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