Trending Now - Common Pantry Item May Halt Deadly Bacterial Infection, Study Finds

WHO:

Yahoo - Researchers from UC Riverside in Southern California conducted the study.

Yahoo - Ansel Hsiao is the associate professor and senior author of the study.

WHAT:

Yahoo - The study found that a high-protein diet can effectively "disarm" cholera bacteria and slash infection levels by 100-fold.

Fox News - The high-protein diet rich in casein and wheat gluten could cut cholera infection levels by 100-fold.

WHERE:

Yahoo - The research was conducted at UC Riverside in Southern California.

WHEN:

Yahoo - The study was published in the journal Cell Host and Microbe.

WHY:

Yahoo - The research aimed to determine whether harmful bacteria would respond to dietary changes similarly to other bacteria.

Yahoo - The World Health Organization has emphasized the need for diversified treatment strategies due to a global surge in cholera cases.

HOW:

Yahoo - The researchers fed infected mice different diets: high-protein, high-simple carbohydrates, and high-fat diets.

Yahoo - Casein and wheat gluten effectively jammed cholera's "syringe-like" structure that injects toxins into gut microbes.

Yahoo - Hsiao noted that dietary strategies won't generate antibiotic resistance like drugs might.

(UPDATED April 9, 2026 17:25 UTC)

Researchers from UC Riverside in Southern California have discovered that a high-protein diet can effectively disarm cholera bacteria, reducing infection levels by an impressive 100-fold. The study, led by associate professor Ansel Hsiao, found that diets rich in casein and wheat gluten disrupt cholera's ability to inject toxins into gut microbes, offering a potential alternative to antibiotics that could avoid generating resistance. Published in the journal Cell Host and Microbe, this research responds to the World Health Organization's call for diversified treatment strategies amid a global rise in cholera cases.