Changes of faecal flora in rheumatoid arthritis during fasting and one-year vegetarian diet.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to investigate the association between a vegetarian diet and changes in intestinal flora, and how these changes relate to disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.
Results Summary
The study found significant alterations in intestinal flora when patients switched from an omnivorous to a vegan diet, with differences also observed between vegan and lactovegetarian diets. Patients with high improvement indices (HI) showed distinct fecal flora compared to those with low improvement indices (LI), suggesting a link between diet, gut microbiota, and RA disease activity.
Population
53 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
1 year
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1-yr vegetarian diet | decrease | RA | RA patients | - | beneficial effect | #1 |
omnivorous to vegan diet | increase | intestinal flora | RA patients | - | significant alteration | #2 |
vegan diet | increase | intestinal flora | RA patients | - | significant difference | #3 |
lactovegetarian diet | increase | intestinal flora | RA patients | - | significant difference | #4 |
diet | increase | faecal flora | patients with high improvement index (HI) and low improvement index (LI) | - | differed significantly | #5 |
diet | increase | intestinal flora and disease activity | RA patients | - | association | #6 |
The beneficial effect of a 1-yr vegetarian diet in RA has recently been demonstrated in a clinical trial. We have analysed stool samples of the 53 RA patients by using direct stool sample gas-liquid chromatography of bacterial cellular fatty acids. Based on repeated clinical assessments disease improvement indices were constructed for the patients. At each time point during the intervention period the patients in the diet group were then assigned either to a group with a high improvement index (HI) or a group with a low improvement index (LI). Significant alteration in the intestinal flora was observed when the patients changed from omnivorous to vegan diet. There was also a significant difference between the periods with vegan and lactovegetarian diets. The faecal flora from patients with HI and LI differed significantly from each other at 1 and 13 months during the diet. This finding of an association between intestinal flora and disease activity may have implications for our understanding of how diet can affect RA.