The intestinal microbiome, but not clinical aspects of inflammatory bowel disease, is impacted by lactose malabsorption compared to lactose digestion in children.

BACKGROUND

Dietary exclusion of lactose from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) persists with speculation that deleterious effects are mediated through intestinal microbes.

OBJECTIVES

To compare IBD characteristics and changes in the intestinal microbiome (IM) at diagnosis in children with and without lactose malabsorption (LM).

METHODS

A cross-sectional cohort of children (8-17 y of age) diagnosed with Crohn's disease [n = 149 (63%)] or ulcerative colitis (n = 86) that had undergone lactose breath hydrogen testing was evaluated. The IM of mucosal luminal aspirates was profiled at the time of diagnosis using 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene amplicon sequencing of the V6 hypervariable region.

RESULTS

Of the 235 children, 61 (26%) had LM. Microbial characterization yielded differences in bacterial differential abundance between children who could and could not absorb lactose, which varied by intestinal site and between subtypes of IBD. There were no differences in the ages [13.2 ± 3.0 y (mean ± standard deviation) compared with 12.7 ± 3.4 y; P = 0.25], sex (P = 0.88), extent of disease involvement or severity of disease at presentation (P = 0.74) when comparing those that could or could not absorb lactose nor was there a difference in the need for initiation of biological agents (P = 0.43) during 2 y of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

LM does not affect the clinical presentation or outcomes of children with IBD. However, this study establishes that a single nonabsorbed fermentable food product can alter the IM in both a regional and disease-specific manner. As we continue to learn more about the pathophysiology of IBD and the role of the IM in disease onset and progression, it would be of benefit to examine the impact of other potential fermentable nutrients and their products on IBD outcomes.