(P39-03-26) The FEEDMe Study: A High Arabinose Diet Lowers a Marker of Gut Inflammation

Objectives: To determine the effect of a high arabinose diet on subclinical gut inflammation in healthy adults.

Methods: Fifty healthy adults, ages 18-50 years old, BMI 18.5-34.9 kg/m², were recruited to participate in the Fiber Effectively Educates and Directs the Microbiome (FEEDMe) study. Participants consumed a low arabinose diet for 16 days (baseline), followed by a high arabinose diet with provided foods for the 18 day intervention, returning to the low arabinose diet for 17 days (follow-up). Participants completed diet questionnaires and submitted stool samples at the end of each study period. Fecal calprotectin was measured by ELISA. Linear mixed models were used to test if fecal calprotectin (Box-Cox transformed) differed over time (baseline, intervention, follow-up), with participant as the random effect and covariates of age, sex, BMI and habitual energy-adjusted soluble fiber intake.

Results: The median duration for the intervention period was 15 days. For the intent to treat group (n = 47), pairwise comparisons found lower calprotectin during the intervention compared to baseline (β = -0.33, p = 0.0087) and follow-up (β = -0.27, p = 0.029). Per protocol (n = 45), the effect of the intervention was more significant with fecal calprotectin lower during the intervention compared to baseline (β = -0.37, p = 0.0038) and follow-up (β = -0.30, p = 0.016).

Conclusions: A diet high in arabinose improved a fecal marker of gut inflammation in healthy adults. Future work will examine whether the anti-inflammatory potential of arabinose is dependent on microbial composition and function.

Funding Sources: This project was supported by the NIH NIDDK and the USDA ARS.