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Gastroenterology

Dampening gastrointestinal inflammation through nutrition

Diet

by Dr Genelle Healey

Gastroenterology
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This article is based on scientific information

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About this article

Author

Dr Deanna Gibson, PhD

Associate Professor

Associate Professor, Department of Biology, I.K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus.

She is an experimental scientist who studies how the gut microbiome develops in response to the environmental cues like diet and how this drives immunity. She is passionately involved in finding the cure for IBD.

See the author
Created 22 November 2021
Updated 24 January 2022

There are many ways to influence gut microbiota composition and modulate the immune response (prebiotics, probiotics…).31 One of the options is dietary interventions that have the potential to alter the activity of the local immune system, thereby dampening the increased inflammatory tone observed with these conditions - this is termed immunonutrition.32 The most widely studied immunonutrients include omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), vitamin D, arginine, nucleotides and glutamine.32

Vitamin D sources:

  • oily fish, cod liver oil
  • eggs, mushrooms
  • fortified foods: dairy products, cereal, and milk alternatives (i.e. soy milk)38
  • produced in the skin in response to sunlight exposure39

Vitamin D and its effects on intestinal immune responses 

While the best characterized function of vitamin D is its role in controlling calcium levels and thereby maintain bone health, it is also known to have a significant effect on GI immune responses. Vitamin D regulates several genes that regulate gut barrier function as well as genes that encode antimicrobial peptides, thus helping to maintain intestinal balance (Fig 5).33 It exerts an immunomodulatory effect, including immune cell differentiation, migration and anti-inflammatory functions,34 and can act directly on Paneth cells to promote defensin-2 secretion.35 Vitamin D also promotes the compositional diversity of the gut microbiota, leading to increased production of butyrate. Butyrate can exert anti-inflammatory effects, increase gut barrier function, and promote Paneth cells to secrete defensins (Fig 5). Interestingly, some probiotic bacteria (e.g. Lactobacillus strains) have been shown to increase vitamin D levels in the blood.36

FIGURE 5: Effects of vitamin D on intestinal cells, gut microbiota and gut barrier.

Adapted from Chen J et al, 2021.37
infographic
infographic
Sources

31 Vieira AT, Teixeira MM, Martins FS. The role of probiotics and prebiotics in inducing gut immunity. Front Immunol. 2013 Dec 12;4:445.

32 Grimble,RF. Basics in clinical nutrition: Immunonutrition – Nutrients which influence immunity: Effect and mechanism of action. e-SPEN. 2009; 4(1):e10-e13

33 Cantorna MT, McDaniel K, Bora S, et al. Vitamin D, immune regulation, the microbiota, and inflammatory bowel disease. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2014 Nov;239(11):1524-30. 

34 Celiberto LS, Graef FA, Healey GR, et al. Inflammatory bowel disease and immunonutrition: novel therapeutic approaches through modulation of diet and the gut microbiome. Immunology. 2018 Sep;155(1):36-52. 

35 Battistini C, Ballan R, Herkenhoff ME, et al. Vitamin D Modulates Intestinal Microbiota in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Dec 31;22(1):362. 

36 Jones ML, Martoni CJ, Prakash S. Oral supplementation with probiotic L. reuteri NCIMB 30242 increases mean circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D: a post hoc analysis of a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Jul;98(7):2944-51.

37 Chen J, Vitetta L. Modulation of Gut Microbiota for the Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19. J Clin Med. 2021 Jun 29;10(13):2903.

38 Roseland JM, Phillips KM, Patterson KY, et al. Vitamin D in foods: An evolution of knowledge. Pages 41-78 in Feldman D, Pike JW, et al, eds. Vitamin D, Vol 2: Health, Disease and Therapeutics, 4th Ed. Elsevier, 2018.

39 Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2010.

Tags
Immunity Inflammation Gut microbiota Western diet Diet Prebiotic Probiotic Dysbiosis Modulation

en_view en_sources

    Focus
    Microbiota, a diplomatic immunity?
    • Introduction
      • Understanding the complex interplay between the microbiota and immunity is only just beginning
    • Intestinal Immunity
      • The infant's gut at the heart of immunity
      • Factors influencing microbiota development and maturation of the immune system early in life
      • The impact of western diet on the mucus layer
      • Dampening gastrointestinal inflammation through nutrition
    • Gut microbiota influences respiratory immunity
      • The gut microbiota is involved in the lung’s defense against viral respiratory infections
      • Gut-lung axis in viral respiratory infections
      • The hygiene hypothesis and the COVID-19 pandemic
      • Targeting the gut microbiota to optimize vaccine efficacy?
    • Role of the microbiota in skin immunity and atopic dermatitis
      • Expert interview: Pr. Brigitte Dréno
    • Conclusion
      • What to take away? Intestinal Immunity
      • What to take away? Respiratory immunity
      • What to take away? Skin immunity
    Created 22 November 2021
    Updated 24 January 2022

    About this article

    To know more about this topic.

    Main topic

    Diet

    Content type

    Dossier detail

    Author

    Dr Deanna Gibson, PhD

    Associate Professor

    Associate Professor, Department of Biology, I.K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus.

    She is an experimental scientist who studies how the gut microbiome develops in response to the environmental cues like diet and how this drives immunity. She is passionately involved in finding the cure for IBD.

    See the author
    The impact of western diet on the mucus layer
    The gut microbiota is involved in the lung’s defense against viral respiratory infections
    Focus

    Microbiota, a diplomatic immunity?

    Introduction

    Understanding the complex interplay between the microbiota and immunity is only just beginning

    Intestinal Immunity

    The infant's gut at the heart of immunity Factors influencing microbiota development and maturation of the immune system early in life The impact of western diet on the mucus layer Dampening gastrointestinal inflammation through nutrition

    Gut microbiota influences respiratory immunity

    The gut microbiota is involved in the lung’s defense against viral respiratory infections Gut-lung axis in viral respiratory infections The hygiene hypothesis and the COVID-19 pandemic Targeting the gut microbiota to optimize vaccine efficacy?

    Role of the microbiota in skin immunity and atopic dermatitis

    Expert interview: Pr. Brigitte Dréno

    Conclusion

    What to take away? Intestinal Immunity What to take away? Respiratory immunity What to take away? Skin immunity

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