The relation between red meat and whole-grain intake and the colonic mucosal barrier: A cross-sectional study

Mohamad Jawhara*, Signe Bek Sørensen, Berit Lilienthal Heitmann, Þórhallur Ingi Halldórsson, Andreas Kristian Pedersen, Vibeke Andersen

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

The Colonic Mucosal Barrier (CMB) is the site of interaction between the human body and the colonic microbiota. The mucus is the outer part of the CMB and is considered as the front-line defense of the colon. It separates the host epithelial lining from the colonic content, and it has previously been linked to health and diseases. In this study, we assessed the relationship between red meat and whole-grain intake and (1) the thickness of the colonic mucus (2) the expression of the predominant mucin gene in the human colon (MUC2). Patients referred to colonoscopy at the University Hospital of Southern Denmark-Sonderjylland were enrolled between June 2017 and December 2018, and lifestyle data was collected in a cross-sectional study design. Colonic biopsies, blood, urine, and fecal samples were collected. The colonic mucus and bacteria were visualized by immunostaining and fluorescence in situ hybridization techniques. We found a thinner mucus was associated with high red meat intake. Similarly, the results suggested a thinner mucus was associated with high whole-grain intake, albeit to a lesser extent than red meat. This is the first study assessing the association between red meat and whole-grain intake and the colonic mucus in humans. This study is approved by the Danish Ethics Committee (S-20160124) and the Danish Data Protecting Agency (2008-58-035). A study protocol was registered at clinical trials.gov under NCT04235348.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1765
JournalNutrients
Volume12
Issue number6
Pages (from-to)1-18
Number of pages18
ISSN2072-6643
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020

Keywords

  • Colonic mucosal barrier
  • Human colon
  • Large intestine
  • MUC2
  • Mucin
  • Mucus
  • Red meat
  • Whole-grain

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