Changes in the gut microbiota can lead to the development of some inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, new evidence has identified.
A study from the Inflammatory Arthritis Microbiota Consortium has found that an individual’s gut health can determine their risk of developing the condition.
During the trial, the team of researchers assessed the gut health of 440 adults to examine whether they went on to develop arthritis.
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They detected a link between certain changes in gut flora and the severity of different inflammatory conditions.
More than 22 of the participants went on to develop rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis, the study has reported.
The gut microbiomes of the participants with inflammatory arthritis contained higher concentrations of potentially harmful bacteria like Escherichia coli and Ruminococcus gnavus and lower concentrations of helpful bacteria like Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Roseburia intestinalis, the research has revealed.
According to the results, these changes on the gut microbiota impact how much iron and vitamin B is absorbed through an individual’s diet.
The researchers said: “Some of these alterations, such as those for B vitamin metabolism, could represent mechanisms for long-term prevention, risk reduction or treatment, as could microbial iron sequestration during arthritis-linked anaemia.”
Prior studies have also discovered a connection between changes in gut flora and inflammatory bowel disease.
