Tryptophan in Turkeys Accelerate Intestinal Healing in Celiac Disease Patients

Tryptophan found in turkeys can stimulate intestinal healing in people with celiac disease, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.// People with celiac disease might find themselves more pleased with extra Thanksgiving turkey dinners as a new study found that tryptophan, an amino acid found in turkey with some probiotics, may help them heal and respond to a gluten-free diet better.

The study set out to investigate whether the breakdown of tryptophan by gut bacteria was modified in celiac disease and whether this pathway can be targeted as a possible therapy.

In celiac disease conditions, one's body cannot process gluten without the protein triggering a damaging, painful response. Over time, gluten consumption will end in the destruction of one's upper gut lining, leading to pain, nutritional deficiencies, and other difficulties. The solution is eliminating gluten from one's diet, but that does little to improve the existing damage.

According to the new research, tryptophan and probiotics may offer something of a solution to this issue, the combination of which was found (using mouse models) to activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) pathway ultimately. This, in turn, was found to decrease gluten-triggered inflammation and promote the response to a gluten-free diet.

Tryptophan is a vital amino acid that the body cannot produce and requires to be consumed through foods like poultry, chocolate, bananas, and cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.

"The only treatment for celiac disease is a stern adherence to a gluten-free diet, which is hard to follow, and doesn't always lead to complete recovery of the gut or symptom resolution," states Elena Verdu, lead author of the study.

Tryptophan may be a novel avenue for treatment to help assist those with celiac disease, though more research is required. Future studies may explore whether giving people with celiac disease supplemental tryptophan and specific probiotics may trigger the AhR pathway to enhance response to a gluten-free diet.

Source-Medindia