Processed foods, gut bacteria, and immune defenses in inflammatory bowel disease
Official title: Interplay of processed diet, gut microbiota, and interferon-linked mucosal immunity in the onset and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease
Funded at Pennsylvania State University, the · NIH-11322034 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether an ultra‑processed food–style diet changes gut bacteria and weakens immune defenses in people at risk for inflammatory bowel disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Pennsylvania State University, the NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (University Park, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2023 |
| Project end | March 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $456,472 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK133334-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11322034 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants would be people with IBD or those at higher risk (for example, family history or early symptoms) who can provide diet information or biological samples.
✕Less likely to help
People whose IBD is already well controlled by other treatments or whose condition is unrelated to diet or the microbiome may not see direct benefits from this research in the short term.
What this research studies
Researchers are studying how a diet high in ultra‑processed ingredients changes the mix of gut microbes and affects a specific interferon‑linked immune pathway (IRGM/Irgm1) that helps protect the gut. In mouse models, the team has seen that an ultra‑processed ingredient diet lowers protective interferon‑inducible genes, lets bacteria move closer to the mucus lining, and activates inflammatory pathways like the NLRP3 inflammasome. They use both acute and chronic colitis models and molecular analyses to link these changes to worse gut inflammation and to test whether dietary or microbiome interventions can prevent disease. The project aims to translate those findings into dietary-based approaches to reduce IBD onset in people.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to practical dietary guidance or microbiome‑targeted strategies that lower the risk of developing IBD.
How similar studies have gone: Epidemiological studies link ultra‑processed food intake to higher IBD risk and some animal work supports diet–microbiome–inflammation links, but the specific interferon‑linked immune mechanisms examined here are relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Pennsylvania State University, the
University Park, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Singh, Vishal — Pennsylvania State University, the
- Study coordinator: Singh, Vishal
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.