Irritable bowel disorder which is an ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, develops due to inflammation within the gut or digestive tract. This leads to numerous issues with digestion and scientists have not been able to identify the root cause of this disorder yet. A recent study has suggested a connection between genetics, diet and gut microbes that might be responsible for IBD.
The study, published in Cell Host & Microbe says that fiber plays an important role between gut microbes and the mucus lining of the digestive system. Fiber helps in developing healthy mucus thickness and inhibits inflammation. People who are born without interleukin-10 which is an IBD-associated cytokine, IBD typically develops in early childhood.
This study analyzes that in mice who lack interleukin-10, fiber deprivation contributes to the deterioration of the colonic mucus lining, which leads to lethal colitis. Therefore, it can be concluded that fiber-rich diets might be valuable for individuals with IBD.
It is said that about 6 million people globally have IBD and CDC says that 3 millions of these are in the US. People who immigrate to industrialized societies and start consuming processed food are at a high risk of developing IBD, according to this new study. A previous study suggests that certain types of dietary fiber can make IBD symptoms worse. Researchers found that unfermented dietary ß-fructan fibers, which are soluble fibers from fruits and vegetables, cause an inflammatory response in people with IBD. Children who develop IBD are prescribed a formula-based low fiber diet known as exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) and there has been success in reducing gut inflammation with this approach.
A recent study has used mice who lacked interleukin-10 and researchers discovered that inflammation was much higher with fiber-free diets. This kind of diet has been shown to encourage the growth of mucin-degrading bacteria which consume the mucus layer in the digestive system, thereby reducing the barrier that the mucus layer provides for gut lining. The mice who consumed a high-fiber diet had significantly less inflammation. Researchers also fed mice the EEN diet formula, some of which also had less inflammation than those with a fiber-free diet. Researchers concluded that these mice have higher amounts of fatty acid called isobutyrate, produced through fermentation in the gut by good bacteria.
Dietary recommendations for IBD patients have been highly variable, largely due to the dearth of research data available to guide clinical practice. A low-fiber diet is recommended for people with IBD due to acute flare-ups within the gut when inflammation in their gut intensifies. Fiber is hard to break down and can cause irritation in the gut or gut lining which in turn contributes to symptoms like stomach pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding or fever. During flare-ups, it’s advisable to not consume heavy food since that might add to increased inflammation.
Journal reference – (N.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(24)00060-X
