Higher fiber intake was associated with better survival and lower rates of lower gastrointestinal (GI) graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). The researchers said their results indicate that dietary fiber could be used in the prevention of GVHD. The study was presented at the ASH Annual Meeting.
“Dietary fiber can modulate the intestinal microbiome and increase the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and bile acids (BAs), which are beneficial microbial metabolites associated with intestinal homeostasis,” wrote the authors, led by Jenny Paredes, PhD, of City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California.
Their study collected data on 173 allo-HCT patients from 10 days before transplantation to 30 after transplantation, for a total of 3,837 patient days. Information included 16S rRNA sequencing data of fecal samples (1,028 patient days) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) data of fecal SCFA concentration for a subgroup of patients with acute lower-GI GVHD patients (110 patient days) and a control subgroup of patients without GVHD (128 patient days).
According to the results,higher fiber intake was significantly associated with higher microbial α-diversity, higher abundance of butyrate producers, and higher concentration of butyrate. Patients with lower GI GVHD had significantly lower fecal concentrations of butyrate and acetate after the researchers adjusted for fiber intake. The high-fiber group had significantly better overall survival and lower incidence of acute lower-GI GVHD.
In addition, the researchers evaluated the effects of dietary fiber on GVHD and survival in a mouse model. Mice that received a high-fiber diet had significantly lower mortality from GVHD. They also had higher microbial α-diversity, less abundance of Enterococcus faecalis, a higher ratio of regulatory T cells over conventional T cells, and a higher concentration of cecal butyrate.
https://ash.confex.com/ash/2024/webprogram/Paper204399.html
Reference
Paredes J, Fei T, Dai A, et al. Increased fiber intake results in better overall survival and lower GI-aGVHD in allo-HCT recipients and pre-clinical GVHD models. Abstract #259. Presented at the 66th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition; December 7–10, 2024; San Diego, California.
