Abstract

Diet is a key environmental factor in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and, at the same time, represents one of the most promising therapies for IBD. Our daily diet often contains food additives present in numerous processed foods and even in dietary supplements. Recently, researchers and national authorities have been paying much attention to their toxicity and effects on gut microbiota and health. This review aims to gather the latest data focusing on the potential role of food additives in the pathogenesis of IBDs through gut microbiota modulation. Some artificial emulsifiers and sweeteners can induce the dysbiosis associated with an alteration of the intestinal barrier, an activation of chronic inflammation, and abnormal immune response accelerating the onset of IBD. Even if most of these results are retrieved from in vivo and in vitro studies, many artificial food additives can represent a potential hidden driver of gut chronic inflammation through gut microbiota alterations, especially in a population with IBD predisposition. In this context, pending the confirmation of these results by large human studies, it would be advisable that IBD patients avoid the consumption of processed food containing artificial food additives and follow a personalized nutritional therapy prescribed by a clinical nutritionist.

Highlights

  • Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) affect more than 1 million individuals in the USA and 2.5 million in Europe, resulting in significant health and economic costs [1].inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) include ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD)

  • CD is a deeper transmural inflammatory condition that can occur in patches throughout the small intestine and the colon, while UC is characterized by mucosal inflammation limited to the colon [2]

  • Diet has a key role in the prevention and treatment of IBD

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Summary

Introduction

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) affect more than 1 million individuals in the USA and 2.5 million in Europe, resulting in significant health and economic costs [1].IBDs include ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) affect more than 1 million individuals in the USA and 2.5 million in Europe, resulting in significant health and economic costs [1]. CD is a deeper transmural inflammatory condition that can occur in patches throughout the small intestine and the colon, while UC is characterized by mucosal inflammation limited to the colon [2]. Both these chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are mainly due to an abnormal mucosal immune response to intestinal microbiota to various environmental factors [3].

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