The influence of a short-term gluten-free diet on the human gut microbiome

Abstract

BackgroundA gluten-free diet (GFD) is the most commonly adopted special diet worldwide. It is an effective treatment for coeliac disease and is also often followed by individuals to alleviate gastrointestinal complaints. It is known there is an important link between diet and the gut microbiome, but it is largely unknown how a switch to a GFD affects the human gut microbiome.MethodsWe studied changes in the gut microbiomes of 21 healthy volunteers who followed a GFD for four weeks. We collected nine stool samples from each participant: one at baseline, four during the GFD period, and four when they returned to their habitual diet (HD), making a total of 189 samples. We determined microbiome profiles using 16S rRNA sequencing and then processed the samples for taxonomic and imputed functional composition. Additionally, in all 189 samples, six gut health-related biomarkers were measured.ResultsInter-individual variation in the gut microbiota remained stable during this short-term GFD intervention. A number of taxon-specific differences were seen during the GFD: the most striking shift was seen for the family Veillonellaceae (class Clostridia), which was significantly reduced during the intervention (p = 2.81 × 10−05). Seven other taxa also showed significant changes; the majority of them are known to play a role in starch metabolism. We saw stronger differences in pathway activities: 21 predicted pathway activity scores showed significant association to the change in diet. We observed strong relations between the predicted activity of pathways and biomarker measurements.ConclusionsA GFD changes the gut microbiome composition and alters the activity of microbial pathways.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13073-016-0295-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Role of Gluten-free Diet and Intestinal Microbiota on Glycemic Control and Diabetes Development

“…In a recent study, 21 healthy volunteers were subjected to a gluten-free diet and observed for four weeks. After follow-up period, there was noticed a significant difference in the gut microbiota, where the class of clostridia was significantly reduced (34). In human models, after a six-month of follow-up, the gluten-free diet did not affect autoantibody titers in individuals at high risk of type-1 diabetes.…”

Modulation of the gut microbiota: a focus on treatments for irritable bowel syndrome

“…These results raise the possibility that the positive effect of a gluten-free diet in patients with IBS may be a nonspecific consequence of reducing the intake of FODMAPs, given that wheat is one of the possible sources of FODMAPs. Another possibility is the potential of the gluten-free diet to alter the composition of the gut microbiota, which has been demonstrated in healthy individuals [46]. However, data are currently lacking regarding the effects of a gluten-free diet on gut microbiota of patients with IBS.…”

Are Gluten-Free Foods Just for Patients with a Gluten-Related Disease?

“…The gut microbiota and its products play an important role in the pathophysiology of celiac disease, and dietary composition can modulate the structure of microbiota. Bonder et al [5] found that in healthy people, the gluten-free diet did not induce major inlammatory or metabolic changes in gut function after 1-month intervention, in contrast to people with celiac disease. However, they observed a decrease in the proportion of Veillonellaceae, considered a pro-inlammatory family frequently reported in patients with inlammatory bowel syndrome.…”

“…Nowadays, due to marketing strategies and trends related to healthy foods, as well as self-diagnosis of gluten-/wheat-related disorders, an important part of the population in developed countries is following a gluten-free diet. This diet is currently one of the three most popular food regimen in the world along with the low-carbohydrate and fat-free diets [5].…”

“…Consumers stand out the idea that gluten-free products are healthier or that gluten-free diet would help them to lose weight and to improve their mental health or because symptoms they atribute to ingestion of wheat-containing foods [4,5]. However, does the intake of gluten-free products really ofer those beneits?…”