Feed your gut: Functional food to improve the pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

• Gut microbiota is a key factor in the etiology of inflammatory bowel diseases. • Food patterns can modulate IBD status and gut microbiota. • The ingestion of prebiotics and probiotics can positively affect IBD. • Pre and probiotics can be found naturally or included in food products. • Pre and probiotics can be ingested from foods or dietary supplements. The incidence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) has increased and its etiology remains unknown. Many risk factors are associated with developing IBD, among them is food intake. Damage in the epithelial mucosa is the focus of IBD, and the gut microbiome is associated with the immune system response. Therefore, environmental stimulus or substrate ingested in diet can alter the microbiota composition, impacting this response. So, functional foods (FF) can be used as a health promoter protecting the microbiome and the intestinal epithelial cells. FF can modulate the microbiota and produce many beneficial metabolites. Furthermore, fermented foods can contribute to the microbiota and intestinal mucosa because, in general, the nutrients and non-nutrient present in its food matrix become more accessible. This graphical review encompasses the etiology of IBD, its associated risk factors, and the impact of FF to prevent the disease activity (recurrent inflammatory periods) and improve patients' health quality.