How Berries Protect the Gut from Palm Oil Damage
Wageningen, Tuesday, 6 October 2026.
Wageningen researchers found that blueberries and blackberries significantly reduce gut inflammation caused by palm oil, with blueberries cutting the inflammatory response by up to 46 percent in artificial models.
A Breakthrough in Food and Healthtech
This scientific milestone sits at the intersection of food technology, medicine, and healthtech, illustrating how targeted, diet-driven therapeutic solutions can be developed using advanced laboratory models [1][2]. Rather than relying solely on traditional dietary observations, researchers are utilizing bioengineered artificial human small intestines to study cellular-level interactions [1][2]. This innovation offers crucial pathways for healthtech startups and functional food manufacturers seeking to design clinical-grade nutritional therapies that mitigate chronic inflammation directly at the gut barrier [1][2].
Unveiling the Inflammatory Mechanism of Palm Oil
The research was pioneered by PhD candidate Aina Casademont Roca at Wageningen University & Research, located in Wageningen, Netherlands [1][2]. Working within the Maintaining Optimal Cognitive function In Ageing (MOCIA) research program, Casademont Roca investigated how dietary fats alter the gut barrier’s permeability to harmful bacterial substances [1][2]. The MOCIA program specifically focuses on how lifestyle factors, including daily nutrition, can preserve cognitive function and support healthy brain aging [1][2].
How Fats and Fruits Interact at the Cellular Level
To understand the underlying biological mechanism, the study utilized an artificial human gut model constructed from intestinal and immune cells to evaluate the translocation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)—a bacterial compound known to trigger systemic inflammatory pathways [1][2]. The laboratory experiments revealed that palm oil triggers a mechanism called “transcellular transport,” actively transporting LPS directly through the intestinal cells rather than leaking between them [1][2]. This active transport induced by palm oil led to a doubling of the activity of the NF-κB inflammatory pathway compared to a non-fat control [1][2]. In contrast, olive oil showed no effect on the inflammatory activity, while fish oil and peanut oil demonstrated lower inflammatory activity, highlighting how saturated fats behave differently from unsaturated alternatives in the gut [1][2].
How Berries Neutralize Gut Inflammation
To combat this palm-oil-induced inflammation, researchers introduced freeze-dried blueberries, blackberries, and bananas subjected to simulated digestion with stomach juices, intestinal juices, and bile [1][2]. All three fruits successfully tempered the inflammatory response in the artificial gut model [1][2]. Blueberries proved to be the most potent, cutting the measured inflammatory response by up to 46 percent, leaving only 54 percent of the inflammatory activity active [1][2]. Casademont Roca suggests that the high concentration of dietary fibers and active polyphenols within these fruits may be responsible for inhibiting the transcellular transport of LPS [1][2].
Future Horizons in Gut-Health Innovation
The next phases of the research program involve testing these interactions on more complex biological models, such as organoids—miniature organs that mimic the complex three-dimensional structure of the human intestine—followed by animal studies and eventual human clinical trials [1][2]. To accelerate the journey of such food innovations from the lab to the market, Wageningen University & Research recently opened CIBIA on September 30, 2026 [3]. This new facility brings technology, product development, and consumer evaluation together under one roof, allowing researchers and industry partners to rapidly develop, test, and scale functional food innovations [3].