Cure8 research brief
Diet quality was linked to gut microbiome features and exploratory differences in inflammatory markers and symptoms in adults with Crohn disease from Puerto Rico; understanding these links may help tailor dietary approaches for underrepresented populations.
Adults with Crohn disease (Puerto Rican or underrepresented groups), clinicians managing IBD, and researchers studying diet–microbiome–inflammation interactions.
This study assessed diet quality, gut microbiome composition (shotgun metagenomics), inflammatory markers (fecal calprotectin, CRP, a 96‑cytokine panel), and patient-reported outcomes in 60 Puerto Rican adults with Crohn disease in a cross‑sectional analysis performed before a dietary intervention.
Researchers found generally poor diet quality—low fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and fiber; high saturated fat, added sugars, and animal protein—and identified four dietary patterns (vegetable‑rich, dairy‑rich, fruit‑rich, coffee/sweetener‑rich).
Higher overall diet quality and a fruit‑rich pattern were linked to greater gut microbial diversity and, in exploratory analyses, to lower fecal calprotectin and CRP; vegetable‑rich pattern related to better quality of life, while coffee/sweetener‑rich related to worse symptoms.
These associations did not remain statistically significant after false discovery rate correction, and most participants were in clinical remission despite impaired health‑related quality of life. The authors conclude larger longitudinal studies in underrepresented populations are needed to test whether improving diet alters disease outcomes.
Cross‑sectional design and small sample size limit causal inference. Associations did not remain significant after false discovery rate correction; results are hypothesis‑generating and need confirmation in larger longitudinal or interventional studies.
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