NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Cholera can quickly become life-threatening, but the best defense might be sitting in your pantry.<\/p>\n New research from UC Riverside in Southern California reveals that a high-protein diet<\/a> can effectively “disarm” the bacteria, slash infection levels by 100-fold, and stop the disease in its tracks before it turns fatal.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n PEOPLE WITH A CERTAIN BMI ARE MORE PRONE TO DEADLY INFECTIONS, STUDY REVEALS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Cholera is a bacterial disease<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Cholera is a bacterial disease spread through contaminated water and food, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/span> (iStock)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The research team aimed to determine whether harmful bacteria would respond to dietary changes<\/a> in the same way as other bacteria.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n SPACE EXPERIMENTS REVEAL NEW WAY TO FIGHT DRUG-RESISTANT SUPERBUGS, SCIENTISTS SAY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “The high-protein diet had one of the strongest anti-cholera effects compared to a balanced diet<\/a> \u2013 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.”<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The high-protein diet had one of the strongest anti-cholera effects, the researchers found.<\/span> (iStock)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The secret lies in the bacteria\u2019s design, the researchers discovered. Cholera uses a microscopic, syringe-like structure to inject toxins into and kill “good” microbes in the gut.<\/p>\n In the study, casein and gluten effectively jammed this “syringe.” Without its primary weapon, cholera wasn’t able to compete.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n 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<\/a> and heightened the need for diversified treatment strategies.<\/p>\n Overreliance on antibiotics can lead to drug-resistant “superbugs,” and while cholera hasn’t yet reached that crisis point, the bacteria\u2019s ability to adapt may reduce the effectiveness of current medications.<\/span> (iStock)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Overreliance on antibiotics can lead to drug-resistant “superbugs.” While cholera hasn’t yet reached that crisis point, the bacteria\u2019s ability to adapt means current medications<\/a> could eventually become useless, experts warn.<\/p>\n “Dietary strategies won’t generate antibiotic resistance in the same way a drug might,” Hsiao noted.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n This means food-based prevention could offer a safer, cheaper and more sustainable weapon for vulnerable communities.<\/p>\n “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<\/a>,” Hsiao said.<\/p>\n TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “The more we can improve people’s diets, the more we may be able to protect them from succumbing to disease.”<\/span> (iStock)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1200\/675\/woman-biting-cheese-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&tl=1\")
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