Dose-dependent effects of enteral nutrition on the faecal microbiota and short chain fatty acids

Jatkowska, A. et al. (2024) Dose-dependent effects of enteral nutrition on the faecal microbiota and short chain fatty acids. Clinical Nutrition, (doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2024.04.010) (In Press)

Abstract

Introduction: Enteral nutrition (EN) involves replacing all or part of a person’s habitual diet with a nutritional formula. The impact of varying doses of EN on the gut microbiome remains understudied. Methods: Healthy adults replaced all (100% EN) or part (85% EN, 50% EN and 20% EN) of their energy requirements with EN for 7 days. Faecal samples were collected before and on day 7 of interventions. Faecal pH, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) and 16S rRNA sequencing were performed. Dietary assessment was performed with 7-day food diaries. Results: Sixty-one participants (31 females; median (IQR) age: 24.7 (23.0-27.8) years) were recruited. A dose-dependent impact of EN on faecal microbiota, SCFAs, BCFAs) and pH was observed, with changes detectable at EN intakes of at least 50% of energy requirements. 100% and 85% EN reduced the abundance of fibre-fermenting taxa such as Agathobacter, Faecalibaterium, Succinivibrio and Acidaminococcus. In parallel, potentially harmful organisms like Eubacterium, Actinomyces, and Klebsiella increased. In the 50% EN group, adherence to a diet high in fish, vegetables, potatoes, non-alcoholic beverages, and fat spreads, and low in cereal products, milk, and meat negatively correlated with changes in microbiota structure (r=-0.75, P=0.025). This signal was not observed when using compositional tools for microbiota analysis. Conclusions: EN detrimentally influences the faecal microbiota and diet-related bacterial metabolites in a dose-dependent manner, particularly at doses of at least 50%. The findings of this study have implications for the dietary management and counselling of patients receiving high volume EN.

• Item Type: Articles
• Keywords: Enteral nutrition, gut microbiome, nutritional rehabilitation, Crohn’s disease, eosinophilic oesophagitis.
• Status: In Press
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: KAPRANOS, Mr PANAGIOTIS and Svolos, Dr Vaios and KLEIN GUNNEWIEK, Ms JENNIFER and Jatkowska, Aleksandra and Gkikas, Dr Konstantinos and RIZOU, Ms VASILIKI and Short, Mr Bryn and Nichols, Mr Ben and Quince, Dr Christopher and Gerasimidis, Professor Konstantinos
• Authors: Jatkowska, A., Gkikas, K., Nichols, B., Short, B., Rizou, V.-K., Kapranos, P., Klein Gunnewiek, J., Christina, E., Svolos, V., Quince, C., and Gerasimidis, K.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing > Dental School; College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering; College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Autonomous Systems and Connectivity
• Journal Name: Clinical Nutrition
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0261-5614
• ISSN (Online): 1532-1983
• Published Online: 09 April 2024
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2024 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Clinical Nutrition 2024
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License