> A second aspect of high-energy, low-fiber food is its high sucrose and/or high fructose content. Overconsumption of these simple sugars can overwhelm absorption in the small intestine, resulting in transit into the colon (86), where these electron donors trigger changes in the microbiota composition by increasing the abundance of Firmicutes that consume sucrose or fructose (87, 88). A longterm high-fructose diet promotes the growth of mucin glycan–degrading bacterial species (89). It also impairs the colonic mucus barrier (89) and increases susceptibility to colitis (90). However, the chain of events through which a
high-sugar diet weakens the mucus barrier remains incompletely understood.
One part I want to highlight:
> A second aspect of high-energy, low-fiber food is its high sucrose and/or high fructose content. Overconsumption of these simple sugars can overwhelm absorption in the small intestine, resulting in transit into the colon (86), where these electron donors trigger changes in the microbiota composition by increasing the abundance of Firmicutes that consume sucrose or fructose (87, 88). A longterm high-fructose diet promotes the growth of mucin glycan–degrading bacterial species (89). It also impairs the colonic mucus barrier (89) and increases susceptibility to colitis (90). However, the chain of events through which a high-sugar diet weakens the mucus barrier remains incompletely understood.