Inulin fibre worsens inflammatory bowel disease, finds study
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According to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators, Inulin, a type of fibre found in certain plant-based foods and fibre supplements, causes inflammation in the gut and exacerbates inflammatory bowel disease.
The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, showed that inulin, which is found in foods like garlic, and leeks, as well as commonly used fibre supplements and foods with added fibre, stimulates microbes in the gut to release bile acids that increase the production of molecules that promote intestinal inflammation.
Dietary fiber, including inulin, is considered an essential part of a healthy diet for most people. Gut microbes turn inulin and other dietary fiber types into short-chain fatty acids that turn on immune cells called regulatory T cells, which help reduce inflammation and have other beneficial effects throughout the body.
One such protein, called IL-33, causes immune cells called group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) to become activated, triggering an excessive immune response similar to an allergic reaction. That excessive immune response then exacerbates intestinal damage and symptoms in an animal model of inflammatory bowel disease.
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