Does the small bowel microbiota in healthy individuals change after consumption of a Western diet?

The gut microbiota is increasingly being implicated in disease. However, due to difficulty accessing the small bowel (i.e. requiring upper endoscopy) and the relative paucity of bacteria in this area (secondary to luminal flow and bactericidal bile acids/gastric acid), the small bowel microbiota is infrequently evaluated in any studies of this nature. The small bowel microbiota continues to remain an unexplored area of the gastrointestinal tract. Characterization of the microbial community and its function is the first step in determining how it potentially affects health and disease.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults between (and including) 18-65 years old.

• On a baseline healthy diet characterized by:

  • High fiber of ≥ 14 g/1000 calories/day
  • < 10% of daily calories from added sugar
  • At least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day
  • < or = 13% of daily calories from saturated fat

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients who do not meet the above diet requirements.
• Known diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, microscopic colitis, celiac disease or other inflammatory conditions.
• Presence of abdominal symptoms based on baseline questionnaire.
• Commercial oral antibiotic or probiotic use within the past 4 weeks.
• Pregnancy or plans to become pregnant within the study time frame
• Vulnerable adults
• Any other disease(s), condition(s) or habit(s) that would interfere with completion of study, or in the judgment of the investigator would potentially interfere with compliance to this study or would adversely affect study outcomes.

Principal investigator will protect the safety of subjects, the validity of data and the integrity of the research by assigning a study identification number to the subject. All information will be kept in a locked file cabinet and all data will be in a password protected computer database. All specimens will be stored in the principal investigator's freezer.