When you flush the commode, you normally don’t pause to inspect your stool under a microscope. Sure, you may think about the Bristol stool scale to sort out needed dietary changes like fiber intake, but few of you are thinking about the bacteria being flushed away. Those with Crohn’s disease start paying more attention, especially during a flare, but even then, little thought is likely given to which bacteria are staying and which are going. Recent research out of the University of Virginia suggests we should give more thought to these microscopic critters.
Crohn’s disease, an autoimmune disease affecting anywhere along the GI tract, can start as early as childhood. Repeated bouts of sometimes severe gut inflammation can lead to growth stunting and a lot of misery. At times, sections of the GI tract must be removed once scarring or fistulas result from such inflammation. The mainstay of therapy are methods of turning down inflammation, yet the inflammation can repeatedly return, so researchers are looking for better ways of control and prevention than just anti-inflammatory firefighting.
Collaborators at UVA compared gut bacteria from children with recurrent Crohn’s against normal children. They found two sets of differences between the two. In terms of the gut microbiome the Crohn’s disease patients demonstrated consistently lower levels of some bacteria but higher levels of others. In terms of immune function, the Crohn’s patients showed a higher number of CD4+ T cells which play a role in inflammation.
Interestingly, they also found that the Crohn’s patients had thicker epithelial barriers in their intestines. This may mean the anti-inflammatory therapies were working, but they still experienced flares which means thicker barriers aren’t enough on their own.
Just like functional providers are already doing, the researchers are asking if better balance of gut bacteria might be the answer to prevention. This area of research is gaining enough attention now that a TransUniversity Microbiome initiative has been formed to collaborate on further research. Since functional medicine providers do not have the research money to do the studies ourselves, we are excited to see more money poured into these areas. Eventually, our ability to manipulate the gut flora will improve even more than we can do now.
Until then, we will keep using the insights we already have from prior research and clinical experience to help our patient live healthier more abundant lives.
Original Webpage: Undergrad’s Crohn’s Discovery Could Lead to Better Treatments. UVA Health. https://newsroom.uvahealth.com/2024/06/26/undergrads-crohns-discovery-could-lead-to-better-treatments /Released June 26, 2024, Assessed July 3, 2024.
Thanks to Science Daily:
University of Virginia Health System. “Crohn’s discovery could lead to better treatments for devastating condition.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 June 2024. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240628125153.htm>.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
