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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Microbes
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1502967

Modulating the gut microbiota in Crohn's disease: A pilot study on the impact of a Plant-Based Diet with DNA-based monitoring

Provisionally accepted
Stine K. Østergaard Stine K. Østergaard 1Zeynep Cetin Zeynep Cetin 2,3Henrik H. Rasmussen Henrik H. Rasmussen 2,3,4Helle N. Lærke Helle N. Lærke 5Mette Holst Mette Holst 2,3Charlotte Lauridsen Charlotte Lauridsen 3,5Jeppe L. Nielsen Jeppe L. Nielsen 1*
  • 1 Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
  • 2 Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Center for nutrition and Intestinal failure, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
  • 3 Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
  • 4 The Dietitians and Nutritional Research Unit, EATEN, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark
  • 5 Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Aarhus University, Foulum, Denmark

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study investigates the effects of a plant-based diet (PBD) on gut microbiota composition and inflammation in Crohn's Disease (CD) patients, using a combination of dietary assessments and advanced molecular techniques. Fourteen patients completed a 12-week intervention, with dietary adherence monitored through both self-reported food diaries and sequencing of the trnL gene to detect plant residues in fecal samples. TrnL sequencing identified 55 plant genera, compared to the 41 reported in food diaries, demonstrating a more accurate measurement of plant residue diversity in fecal samples, overcoming limitations of self-reported dietary data. The PBD led to a significant 1.4-fold increase in plant intake by week 4, which correlated with a marked increase in bacterial diversity, which is significant given the role of reduced microbial diversity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) pathogenesis. Microbial analysis revealed increased abundance of key genera, such as Faecalibacterium and Bacteroides, both known to be underrepresented in CD patients. Additionally, fecal calprotectin levels, a marker of intestinal inflammation, decreased from 472 mg/kg at baseline to 207 mg/kg at week 12. These findings suggest that a PBD can positively influence gut microbiota and decrease enteric inflammation in CD patients, while also establishing that trnL sequencing can be a useful tool for dietary adherence assessment in clinical studies.

    Keywords: TRNL, 16S rRNA, DNA-based dietary monitoring, Plant-based diet, Crohns disease, Diet intervention

    Received: 27 Sep 2024; Accepted: 18 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Østergaard, Cetin, Rasmussen, Lærke, Holst, Lauridsen and Nielsen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Jeppe L. Nielsen, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, 9220, Denmark

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.