Key takeaways:
~ Inflammatory bowel disease is a serious, life-altering diagnosis.
~Genetics plays a role in susceptibility to IBD
~Knowing which genetic variants you have may help you figure out which lifestyle changes would be most helpful.
What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
IBD is a general term that applies to both Chron’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which both cause chronic inflammation in the intestines. Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the GI tract but usually affects the small intestines. Ulcerative colitis is usually affecting the colon and rectum. [ref]
The immune system seems to go haywire in IBD and causes inflammation in the GI tract. This eventually leads to the destruction of part of the intestines causing pain, diarrhea, fever, malnutrition, and other symptoms.[ref]
Both genetic and environmental factors are thought to cause IBD. There is a disruption of the mucous lining in the intestines which changes the gut microbiome and causes an inflammatory response.[ref]
Related article: Emulsifiers, gut mucosa, and inflammation
NOD2 gene: Risk factor for IBD
NOD2, also referred to as CARD15, is a gene that encodes a protein (nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2) that recognizes bacteria in order to initiate an immune response.[ref]
NOD2 interacts with components found on both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria found in your colon. It can also detect single-stranded RNA from viruses. Your gut microbiome interacts with your immune system in many ways. NOD2 plays an essential role in the way that the immune system keeps gut microbes in the right place and at the right levels in the colon. When encountering bacterial components, NOD2 activates the NF-κB or MAPK signaling pathways, which causes an inflammatory response that balances and keeps the microbial composition in the gut under control.[ref][ref]
When NOD2 is impaired, the gut microbiome is often not in homeostasis. The loss of this regulatory factor in the intestines increases the risk of IBD.[ref]
Here is an video overview of how NOD2 plays a role in inflammatory bowel disease:
IBD Genotype Report:
Lifehacks:
Diet and Lifestyle Actions:
NOD2 can be upregulated in the intestines by butyrate.[ref] Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid produced by certain gut bacteria and also found in small amounts in foods such as butter and other full-fat dairy. Resistant starch (found in cooked and cooled potatoes and rice) feeds the kind of bacteria that produce butyrate.
Related Articles and Topics:
TNF-alpha: Inflammation, Chronic Diseases, and Genetic Susceptibility