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    Roy Jamron
    Roy Jamron

    More Evidence Links Gut Bacteria to Celiac Disease

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    Celiac.com 11/06/2008 - Previously, the possible link between gut bacteria and celiac disease has been discussed in "Open Original Shared Link"[1] A 5-year European study, DIABIMMUNE, is currently underway focusing on some 7000 children, from birth, investigating the development of intestinal bacterial flora and its influence on the development of the human immune system and autoimmune disease, including celiac disease.[2] Hopefully, this study will provide some much needed answers. Now a Spanish group of scientists has produced further evidence supporting a possible role for gut bacteria in the pathogenesis of celiac disease by investigating whether gut microflora present in the feces of celiac disease patients participates in the pro-inflammatory activity of celiac disease.[3]

    The makeup of fecal microflora in celiac disease patients differs significantly from that of healthy subjects. To determine whether gut microflora is a participant in the pro-inflammatory milieu of celiac disease, the Spanish research team incubated cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy adults with fecal microflora obtained from 26 active celiac disease children, 18 symptom-free celiac disease children on a gluten-free diet, and 20 healthy children. The scientists additionally investigated possible regulatory roles of Bifidobacterium longum ES1 and B. bifidum ES2 obtained from the feces of healthy individuals, co-incubating the Bifidobacterium with the test subject fecal microflora and the peripheral blood mononuclear cell culture.

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    Fecal micrflora from both active and, notably, treated, symptom-free celiac children caused a significant increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine production and a decrease in anti-inflammatory IL-10 production in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures compared to the fecal microflora from healthy children. However, cultures co-incubated with the Bifidobacterium strains exhibited a suppression of the pro-inflammatory cytokine production and an increase in IL-10 production. IL-10 is a cytokine which promotes immune tolerance.

    The scientists concluded that the makeup of the gut flora of celiacs may contribute to pro-inflammation in celiac disease, possibly in a synergy with gliadin, and that certain strains of Bifidobacterium appear to suppress and reverse pro-inflammatory effects and offering therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of celiac disease.

    It would have been interesting if the scientists had also investigated the effect of adding vitamin D to the fecal microflora and the peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures. It is likely the addition of vitamin D might also have resulted in a suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokine production and an increase in IL-10 production. This is borne out by experiments with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its culture filtrate antigen in peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures where the addition of vitamin D resulted in a suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokine production and an increase in IL-10 production.[4] It is possible that celiac disease may be entirely prevented in infancy by routinely administrating prophylactic doses of vitamin D and probiotics containing specific strains of Bifidobacterium before gluten is introduced into the infant's diet. The vitamin D and Bifidobacterium strains may provide an IL-10 anti-inflammatory environment in which the immune system learns to respond tolerantly to gluten, forever preventing the onset of celiac disease.

    The fact that certain strains of fecal Bifidobacterium from healthy individuals appear to suppress celiac disease inflammation brings to mind the concept of "fecal bacteriotherapy" or "fecal transplant", a therapy developed and used in practice by the world reknown Australian gastroenterologist, Prof. Thomas J. Borody, M.D., known best for his development of a triple-antibiotic treatment for H. pylori and ulcerative colitis.[5] Fecal bacteriotherapy involves transplanting feces from a healthly, screened donor into an ailing patient with a persistant bacterial gastrointestinal disorder whose own gut flora has first been reduced or eliminated with antibiotics. The fecal microflora from the healthy donor reseeds the gut of the ailing patient with a healthy mix of intestinal microflora curing the gastrointestinal disorder. The Bifidobacterium research done by the Spanish researchers suggests that fecal bacteriotherapy might be an option to treat or cure celiac disease in adults, replacing gut flora causing intolerance to gluten with a healthy mix of gut flora that encourages tolerance to gluten.

    Sources

    [1] Do Vitamin D Deficiency, Gut Bacteria, and Gluten Combine in Infancy to Cause Celiac Disease?
    Roy S. Jamron
    https://www.celiac.com/articles/21605/

    [2] European Study Will Focus On Relation Of Gut Bacteria to Autoimmune Disease in Children
    Roy S. Jamron
    https://www.celiac.com/articles/21607/

    [3] Journal of Inflammation 2008, 5:19.
    Bifidobacterium strains suppress in vitro the pro-inflammatory milieu triggered by the large intestinal microbiota of coeliac patients.
    Medina M, De Palma G, Ribes-Koninckx C, Calabuig M, Sanza Y.
    Open Original Shared Link

    [4] J Clin Immunol. 2008 Jul;28(4):306-13.
    Regulatory role of promoter and 3' UTR variants of vitamin D receptor gene on cytokine response in pulmonary tuberculosis.
    Selvaraj P, Vidyarani M, Alagarasu K, Prabhu Anand S, Narayanan PR.
    Open Original Shared Link

    [5] Prof. Thomas J. Borody, M.D., Bio and Publication List Open Original Shared Link Open Original Shared Link



    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    Guest Ali

    Dear Mr. Jamron, After 2 years of a gluten free diet

    my health remained very bad. That is when I learned about heavy metal toxicity. When the gut barrier isn't strong anymore,there is no good protection anymore and we get stuff in our system which is very bad for our health. I don't believe bacteria are THE CAUSE or THE CURE for celiac disease. The reason people with celiac disease have different bacteria in their gut is because the immune system is not working correctly anymore because of the toxins and heavy metals. When these toxins and heavy metals are removed, perfect health will be regained, BUT the celiac disease will remain.

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    Guest AliB

    Thanks Roy for that. It makes me feel so much better about my banging on about gut dysbiosis and rogue bacteria being behind so many health issues. Celiac is just one condition among many and just the tip of the iceberg. I am sure a lot more will come out on this subject.

     

    It's encouraging when you get information that proves you are on the right track. Now I have a little more evidence to back up my belief.

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    Guest Michelle Grace

    Posted

    Very informative and interesting. Makes absolute sense to me. I have long believed there are many factors contributing to the disorder/disease. Thanks for the article.

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    Guest MaryClare

    Posted

    Healthy intestinal flora from birth on will provide a strong defense and immune system that will be much more likely to keep at bay many auto-immune disorders.

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    Guest SarahP

    Thanks for this article. I'm pretty firmly convinced that expression of the celiac genes is primarily facilitated by a gut that is out of balance -- too much bad bacteria, not enough good. Curses to all those dozens of antibiotics I took as a child!!

     

    I suspect it would do all celiacs good to follow the GAPS diet for some time, as a means to heal the gut. Alas, it's pretty challenging to do in the real world, without a very high level of motivation...

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    Guest Larisa

    Very helpful.

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  • About Me

    Roy Jamron

    Roy S. Jamron holds a B.S. in Physics from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in Engineering Applied Science from the University of California at Davis, and independently investigates the latest research on celiac disease and related disorders.


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