Effect of Dietary Emulsifier on Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Associated Intestinal Microbiota.

The intestinal microbiota is the collective term used to described the microbial community living in our intestine and playing important roles. However, the intestinal microbiota is also playing a central role in the development of many chronic inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We previously reported, in mice, that the consumption of dietary emulsifiers, a food additive broadly used by the food industry to improve texture and extend shelf life of processed food, is able to detrimentally alter the intestinal microbiota, promoting the development of intestinal inflammation. In the current research project, we propose to test the impact of dietary emulsifier on human microbiotas from IBD patients, including IBD patients carrying pathogenic bacteria, named adherent-invasive Escherichia coli and known to be involved in disease susceptibility. We predict that IBD microbiotas will be very prone to disturbance by emulsifiers and that such disturbances may initiate/drive intestinal inflammation. The study of the impact of dietary emulsifiers on IBD-derived microbiota may advance a general paradigm of understanding non-genetic factors that can drive IBD development and promote disease flares. Moreover, our studies may result in dietary advice for those at risk of or suffering from IBD.