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Showing results for tags 'bifidobacteria'.
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Celiac.com 01/23/2025 - This study explored how a gluten-free diet influences gut function and microbiome composition in individuals newly diagnosed with celiac disease over a one-year period. Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten, primarily damages the small intestine, leading to digestive issues, nutrient malabsorption, and changes in gut health. The primary treatment for celiac disease is a strict gluten-free diet, but its broader effects on the gut environment and microbiome were not fully understood until now. To investigate these impacts, researchers compared individuals with newly diagnosed celiac disease to healthy volunteers who did not follow a gluten-free diet. How the Study Was Conducted The study involved two groups: 36 newly diagnosed celiac disease patients and 36 healthy individuals matched by age and gender. Before starting their gluten-free diet, the celiac group underwent tests to assess their gut function, such as small bowel water content, colon volume, and whole gut transit time (the time it takes for food to move through the digestive tract). Stool samples were collected for microbiome analysis, which determined the types of bacteria present and their functions. These tests were repeated after one year of following a gluten-free diet. Healthy participants provided a baseline for comparison and were tested over the same period without dietary changes. Researchers also evaluated gastrointestinal symptoms, general wellbeing, and psychological factors to understand the diet's broader impacts on quality of life. Key Findings: Gut Function Changes Small Bowel Water Content At the start of the study, individuals with celiac disease had significantly higher small bowel water content than the healthy group. This increase likely reflects damage caused by celiac disease, such as poor nutrient absorption and excessive fluid secretion in the small intestine. Although there was improvement after one year on a gluten-free diet, the levels did not fully return to those seen in the healthy group. Gut Transit Time Whole gut transit time, which measures how quickly food moves through the digestive system, was much slower in celiac patients at the start of the study. After following a gluten-free diet for a year, there was some improvement, but transit time remained slower compared to the healthy group. This delay in gut movement may be due to inflammation, malabsorption, and other gut function disruptions caused by celiac disease. Colon Volume Unlike small bowel water content and transit time, colon volume did not show significant differences between the two groups at the start of the study or after one year. This indicates that the gluten-free diet had a more noticeable effect on small intestinal function than on the large intestine. Gut Microbiome: Changes in Bacterial Composition Differences in Microbiome Before the Gluten-Free Diet At the start of the study, the gut microbiome of celiac patients showed higher levels of certain bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, Enterobacter, and Peptostreptococcus. These bacteria are associated with increased protein breakdown, which may reflect the malabsorption of nutrients in the damaged intestine. In contrast, beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacteria, known for supporting gut health, were less abundant in celiac patients. Impact of a Gluten-Free Diet on Microbiome After one year of following a gluten-free diet, significant changes occurred in the gut microbiome. The gluten-free diet reduced the levels of Bifidobacteria even further. This decline is likely due to the removal of dietary fibers, such as resistant starch and arabinoxylan, which are found in gluten-containing foods like wheat. These fibers are important for feeding Bifidobacteria and maintaining a healthy gut environment. Additionally, a bacterium called Blautia wexlerae increased after the gluten-free diet. Changes in gut bacterial species were also linked to gut function, such as transit time and colonic volume, showing that the diet indirectly influenced the microbiome by altering the gut environment. Carbohydrate Metabolism Changes The gluten-free diet significantly altered the gut microbiome's ability to break down certain carbohydrates. Enzymes responsible for digesting resistant starch and arabinoxylan decreased after the gluten-free diet. This shift reflects the reduced intake of wheat-based fibers, which may contribute to further disruptions in the gut microbiome. Quality of Life and Symptoms At the start of the study, patients with celiac disease reported significantly worse gastrointestinal symptoms and overall wellbeing compared to the healthy group. Symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, and nausea were more common in the celiac group. After one year on a gluten-free diet, patients experienced significant improvements in their symptoms and general wellbeing. However, their quality of life and symptoms did not fully return to the levels reported by healthy individuals. Why This Study Matters for Celiac Disease Patients This study highlights the complex relationship between celiac disease, gut function, and the gut microbiome. While a gluten-free diet remains the cornerstone of celiac disease management, the findings suggest that it does not fully reverse the damage caused to gut function or restore a balanced microbiome. The reduction in beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacteria and the altered carbohydrate metabolism highlight potential downsides of the gluten-free diet. For individuals with celiac disease, this research provides insight into why symptoms may persist even after strict adherence to a gluten-free diet. It also emphasizes the need for further strategies to support gut health, such as including prebiotic or fiber-rich foods that feed beneficial bacteria or developing targeted probiotics to restore balance in the gut microbiome. Conclusion The gluten-free diet improves symptoms and partially restores gut function in celiac disease patients, but it also causes significant changes to the gut microbiome. Understanding these effects opens the door for new treatments aimed at improving gut health alongside dietary management. For those with celiac disease, this research underscores the importance of ongoing care and potential future therapies to address the gut's long-term health. Read more at: biorxiv.org Watch the video version of this article:
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Reduced Fecal Acidity Mirrors Rise in Celiac Rates
Scott Adams posted an article in Origins of Celiac Disease
Celiac.com 10/12/2020 - Researchers have recently begun to understand that gut bacteria play a critical role in keeping people healthy. They are also beginning to understand that our poop offers an excellent glimpse into our gut health. We know that the gut microbiota of children begin to change when they get celiac disease. Low levels of certain gut bacteria correspond with higher rates of celiac disease. We also know that gut microbiomes of children with a high genetic risk for type 1 diabetes are significantly different than those of children with low genetic risk. Moreover, changing gut microbiota could protect against celiac disease. However, there's much to learn about exactly which bacteria is beneficial and which bacteria is harmful, and what the best balance of bacteria may be to help optimize our health. We do understand that one bacteria strain, bifidobacterium infantis, is beneficial to gut health. To learn more, a group of researchers conducted a study to see if they could introduce an important species of good bacteria, known as bifidobacterium infantis, into the guts of babies with deficient levels. When they did so, they found that the stool pH became much more acidic, which is a more normal gut condition. This led the team to hypothesize that lower stool pH could reflect a healthier gut, with more optimal levels of beneficial microbes. To investigate their hypothesis, the team analyzed the pH of infant stool by looking at studies from 1926 to 2017. They found that infant stool pH has risen from 5.0 to 6.5 over the last hundred years or so, meaning that is has become less acidic and more basic over the years. This is a major difference, as the pH scale runs from 0 to 14.0, with 7.0 being neutral. That change could reflect a decrease in bifidobacterium, and a reduction in gut health during that time. Normally, healthy mothers pass bifidobacterium and many other strains of gut bacteria to their babies via their breast milk. The researchers think that the reduction in bifidobacterium in infants may reflect reduced gut health in mothers doing that time. According to researcher Bethany Henrick, of Evolve BioSystems, a biomedical company in Davis, California, and her co-author Jennifer Smilowitz, a nutritional biologist at the University of California, Davis, bifidobacterium is important, because it binds exclusively to human milk oligosaccharides, which are sugars found only in breast milk. Oligosaccharides provides food bifidobacterium needs to grow and reproduce. Healthy levels of bifidobacterium in the gut help to keep bad bacteria from growing in the gut. About 80% of the cells that make up our immune systems are in our guts. "There's this intimate connection between the gut microbiome and our immune system," says Henrick. If bifidobacterium levels are low, bad bacteria can flourish. Higher levels of bad gut bacteria could tax the immune system, and promote allergies and certain autoimmune diseases. Women can promote gut health by eating a diet high in fiber, such as whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. Prior studies have shown that gut bacteria is influenced by three things: How often a baby gets antibiotics, whether they are breastfed, and whether they were delivered naturally, or via cesarean section. The researchers encourage doctors and new mothers to work to promote a healthy gut microbiome in their babies by limiting antibiotics and cesarean sections, and to breastfeed, when possible. By learning more about the role of gut bacteria and a healthy gut biome in the development of celiac disease can help us to better understand the origins of the disease, as well as how we might be able to reduce it in the future. Stay tuned for more on the role of gut bacteria in celiac disease, and related news. Read more at Pediatr Res. 2019; 86(6): 749–757.- 1 comment
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Celiac.com 06/03/2020 - Bifidobacterium breaks down gluten in the gut, and reduces toxicity and inflammation. Could bifidobacteria-based probiotics could play a role in the treatment of celiac disease? When people with celiac disease eat gluten, they usually experience inflammation, and, if untreated, damage to the gut. Recent studies indicate that people with celiac disease may have lower levels of bifidobacteria in the intestinal lumen. A team of researchers recently set out to investigate the digestion of intact gluten proteins by various species of bifidobacterium. The research team included Natália Ellen Castilho de Almeida, Franciele Grego Esteves, José Roberto Aparecido dos Santos-Pinto, Carla Peres de Paula, Anderson Ferreira da Cunha, Iran Malavazi, Mario Sergio Palma, and Edson Rodrigues-Filho. They are variously affiliated with the Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil.; Department of Chemistry, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil; Center of Study of Social Insects, Department of Biology, Institute of Biosciences of Rio Claro, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil; and the Department of Genetics and Evolution, Biotechnology Graduate Program (PPGBiotec), Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil. In their paper, the research team describes the ways in which Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium longum, Bembidion breve, Bifidobacterium animalis, alone and also a Bifidobacterium combination, influence the digestion of complete gluten proteins, and also affect the related immunomodulatory responses caused by the generated peptides. The team assessed cytotoxicity and proinflammatory responses by studying NF-kB p65 activation, and TNF-α and IL-1β cytokine expression in Caco-2 cell cultures exposed to gluten-derived peptides. The peptides successfully reduced cytotoxic action and proinflammatory marker levels compared with gluten fragments created during non-inoculated digestion. These results indicate that bifidobacteria-based probiotics could play a future role in the treatment of celiac disease. Read more in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2020, 68, 15, 4485-4492
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