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Kristin Verbeke

Kristin Verbeke
KU Leuven | ku leuven · Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders (TARGID)

PhD

About

318
Publications
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28,651
Citations

Publications

Publications (318)
Article
Full-text available
Background Common emulsifiers are associated with intestinal inflammation and are therefore excluded in new dietary therapeutic strategies in inflammatory bowel disease. Human data are scarce and involve a limited number of emulsifiers. We aimed to investigate the effect of five different emulsifiers on systemic and intestinal inflammation, intesti...
Article
Full-text available
Background Emulsifiers are associated with intestinal inflammation and therefore excluded in new dietary strategies in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). We aimed to investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and adherence of an emulsifier-free diet (EFD) in healthy volunteers as part of the FOod Additives on the Mucosal barrier (FOAM) study. Met...
Article
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Emerging science shows that probiotic intake may impact stress and mental health. We investigated the effect of a 6-week intervention with Bifidobacterium longum (BL) NCC3001 (1 × 10e10 CFU/daily) on stress-related psychological and physiological parameters in 45 healthy adults with mild-to-moderate stress using a randomized, placebo-controlled, tw...
Article
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Evidence is accumulating that short chain fatty acids (SCFA) play an important role in the maintenance of gut and metabolic health. The SCFA acetate, propionate and butyrate are produced from the microbial fermentation of indigestible carbohydrates and appear to be key mediators of the beneficial effects elicited by the gut microbiome. Microbial SC...
Article
Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are products of microbial fermentation of dietary fiber in the colon and may mediate microbiota-gut-brain communication. However, their role in modulating psychobiological processes that underlie the development of stress- and anxiety-related disorders is not mechanistically studied in humans. In this triple-blind, r...
Article
Full-text available
Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at increased risk of bone mineral density loss and vascular calcification. Bone demineralization and vascular mineralization often concur in CKD, similar to what observed in the general population. This contradictory association is commonly referred to as the ‘calcification paradox’ or the bone–vascula...
Article
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Lactose is the main source of calories in milk, an essential nutriedigestion, patients with visceral hypersensitivity nt in infancy and a key part of the diet in populations that maintain the ability to digest this disaccharide in adulthood. Lactase deficiency (LD) is the failure to express the enzyme that hydrolyses lactose into galactose and gluc...
Article
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On December 17, 2018, the North American branch of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI North America) convened a workshop "Can We Begin to Define a Healthy Gut Microbiome Through Quantifiable Characteristics?" with >40 invited academic, government, and industry experts in Washington, DC. The workshop objectives were to 1) develop a coll...
Article
A reduction in intestinal barrier function is currently believed to play an important role in pathogenesis of many diseases, as it facilitates passage of injurious factors such as lipopolysaccharide, peptidoglycan, whole bacteria, and other toxins to traverse the barrier to damage the intestine or enter the portal circulation. Currently available e...
Article
Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the main metabolites produced by bacterial fermentation of dietary fibre in the gastrointestinal tract, are speculated to have a key role in microbiota-gut-brain crosstalk. However, the pathways through which SCFAs might influence psychological functioning, including affective and cognitive processes and their neura...
Article
Dietary fiber and prebiotics consistently modulate microbiota composition and function and hence may constitute a powerful tool in microbiota-gut-brain axis research. However, this is largely ignored in Hooks et al.’s analysis, which highlights the limitations of probiotics in establishing microbiome-mediated effects on neurobehavioral functioning...
Article
Objective: The increasing prevalence of obesity over the past few decades constitutes a global health challenge. Pharmacological therapy is recommended to accompany life-style modification for obesity management. Here, we perform a clinical trial to investigate the effects of metformin on anthropometric indices and gut microbiota composition in non...
Article
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This study is the first to determine the safety and tolerance in humans of a butyrate-producing Clostridium cluster IV next-generation probiotic. Advances in gut microbiota research have triggered interest in developing colon butyrate producers as next-generation probiotics. Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum 25-3 T is one such potential probiotic, with...
Article
Aim The microbiota shows diurnal oscillations that are synchronized by the host's circadian clock and feeding rhythms. Short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by the microbiota are possible synchronizers of peripheral circadian clocks. We aimed to investigate whether fecal SCFAs show a diurnal rhythm that regulates the rhythm of SCFA receptor expr...
Article
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The spatial organisation of gut microorganisms is important with respect to their functional role in the gut ecosystem. Regional differences in the longitudinal and lateral direction are, however, not frequently studied, given the difficulty to sample these human gut regions in vivo. Particularly the insoluble food particle‐associated microbiota is...
Article
Background and aims: Prebiotics such as Arabinoxylooligosaccharides (AXOS) are non-digestible, fermentable food ingredients stimulating growth/activity of colonic bacteria with enhanced carbohydrates fermentation (CF) in humans. The migrating motor complex (MMC) of the gastrointestinal tract has been recently identified as an important hunger sign...
Article
Full-text available
The aim of this study was to determine the impact of different wheat bran fractions on the gut microbiota and fat binding capacity to explain their differential effects on metabolic and inflammatory disorders induced by a western diet (WD) in mice. Wheat bran derived arabinoxylan oligosaccharides (AXOS), a crude fraction of wheat bran (WB), or the...
Article
Background: Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA; acetate, propionate and butyrate) are more and more recognised as mediators of local gut and systemic health. Quantification of SCFA in plasma and serum is challenging due to their low concentrations in human blood and the ubiquitous nature of acetate, requiring careful standardisation of the sample prepar...
Article
Full-text available
In December 2016, a panel of experts in microbiology, nutrition and clinical research was convened by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics to review the definition and scope of prebiotics. Consistent with the original embodiment of prebiotics, but aware of the latest scientific and clinical developments, the panel...
Article
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Objective Contrary to the long-standing prerequisite of inducing selective (ie, bifidogenic) effects, recent findings suggest that prebiotic interventions lead to ecosystem-wide microbiota shifts. Yet, a comprehensive characterisation of this process is still lacking. Here, we apply 16S rDNA microbiota profiling and matching (gas chromatography mas...
Conference Paper
Background: Dysbiosis, intestinal barrier dysfunction and metabolic alterations of the gut microbiota have been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. We studied the faecal microbiome and metabolome, as well as intestinal permeability of multiple-affected families with Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) to invest...
Article
Full-text available
Wheat bran (WB) is a constituent of whole grain products with beneficial effects for human health. Within the human colon, such insoluble particles may be colonized by specific microbial teams which can stimulate cross-feeding, leading to a more efficient carbohydrate fermentation and an increased butyrate production. We investigated the extent to...
Article
Taste receptors coupled to the gustatory G-protein, gustducin, on enteroendocrine cells sense nutrients to regulate gut hormone release. During Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery, the altered nutrient flow to more distal regions can affect gustducin-mediated gut hormone release, and hence energy and glucose homeostasis. We studied the role of...
Article
Scope: Entero-endocrine cells (EECs) sense nutrients through taste receptors similar to those on the tongue. Sweet -and fatty acid taste (FFAR) receptors coupled to the gustatory G-protein, gustducin, on EECs play a role in gut hormone release. We studied if supplementation of artificial (sucralose) or prebiotic (oligofructose; OFS) sweeteners tar...
Article
Key points: The short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are bacterial metabolites produced during the colonic fermentation of undigested carbohydrates, such as dietary fibre and prebiotics, and can mediate the interaction between the diet, the microbiota and the host. We quantified the fraction of colonic administered SCFAs that could be recovered in the...
Article
Background: Intestinal microbiota regulates gastrointestinal sensory-motor function. Prebiotics such as arabinoxylan-oligosaccharide (AXOS) are non-digestible, fermentable food ingredients beneficially affecting intestinal microbiota, colon activity, and improving human health. We wanted to investigate whether acute AXOS or maltodextrin (placebo)...
Data
CONSORT 2010 Checklist AXOS in CKD study. (DOC)
Data
Original protocol AXOS in CKD study. (DOCX)
Article
Full-text available
Cereal fibers are known to increase fecal weight and speed transit time, but far less data are available on the effects of fruits and vegetable fibers on regularity. This study provides a comprehensive review of the impact of these three fiber sources on regularity in healthy humans. We identified English-language intervention studies on dietary fi...
Article
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Since the 1970s, the positive effects of dietary fiber on health have increasingly been recognized. The collective term "dietary fiber" groups structures that have different physiologic effects. Since 1995, some dietary fibers have been denoted as prebiotics, implying a beneficial physiologic effect related to increasing numbers or activity of the...
Article
This article reviews the current knowledge of the health effects of dietary fiber and prebiotics and establishes the position of prebiotics within the broader context of dietary fiber. Although the positive health effects of specific fibers on defecation, reduction of postprandial glycemic response, and maintenance of normal blood cholesterol level...
Article
Full-text available
Short chain fatty acids (SCFA), including acetate, propionate, and butyrate, are produced during bacterial fermentation of undigested carbohydrates in the human colon. In this study, we applied a stable-isotope dilution method to quantify the in vivo colonic production of SCFA in healthy humans after consumption of inulin. Twelve healthy subjects p...
Article
Background and aims: Fecal microbiota transplantation is a successful therapy for patients with refractory Clostridium difficile infections. It has also been suggested as a treatment option for inflammatory bowel disease, given the role of the intestinal microbiota in this disease. We assessed the impact of fecal microbiota transplantation in pati...
Article
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Although there has been increasing interest in the use of high protein diets, little is known about dietary protein related changes in the mammalian metabolome. We investigated the influence of protein intake on selected tryptophan and phenolic compounds, derived from both endogenous and colonic microbial metabolism. Furthermore, potential inter-sp...
Article
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Objective: Pouchitis is the most common complication after colectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) for UC and the risk is the highest within the 1st year after surgery. The pathogenesis is not completely understood but clinical response to antibiotics suggests a role for gut microbiota. We hypothesised that the risk for pouchitis can be...
Article
Full-text available
There is increasing interest in the colonic microbiota as a relevant source of uremic retention solutes accumulating in CKD. Renal disease can also profoundly affect the colonic microenvironment and has been associated with a distinct colonic microbial composition. However, the influence of CKD on the colonic microbial metabolism is largely unknown...
Article
Full-text available
The lactose hydrogen breath test is a commonly used, non-invasive method for the detection of lactose malabsorption and is based on an abnormal increase in breath hydrogen (H₂) excretion after an oral dose of lactose. We use a combined (13)C/H₂ lactose breath test that measures breath (13)CO₂ as a measure of lactose digestion in addition to H₂ and...
Article
Full-text available
Whether or not abdominal symptoms occur in subjects with small intestinal lactose malabsorption might depend on differences in colonic fermentation. To evaluate this hypothesis, we collected fecal samples from subjects with lactose malabsorption with abdominal complaints (LM-IT, n = 11) and without abdominal complaints (LM-T, n = 8) and subjects wi...
Article
Introduction. Increasing experimental data reveal the importance of the gut bacteria in mediating behavioral changes. However, clinical evidences are lacking. In one hand, alcohol-dependent subjects (AD) are known to present with depression, anxiety and neuropsychological disorders. On the other hand, heavy and chronic alcohol consumption is sugges...
Article
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To comprehensively review and quantitatively summarize results from intervention studies that examined the effects of intact cereal dietary fiber on parameters of bowel function. A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed and EMBASE. Supplementary literature searches included screening reference lists from relevant studies and review...
Article
The long-term disposition of tacrolimus following kidney transplantation is characterized by a gradual decrease in dose-requirements and increase in dose-corrected exposure. This phenomenon has been attributed to a progressive decline in CYP3A4-activity, although this has never been demonstrated in vivo. Sixty-five tacrolimus and 10 cyclosporine tr...
Article
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Available evidence on the bioactive, nutritional and putative detrimental properties of gut microbial metabolites has been evaluated to support a more integrated view of how prebiotics might affect host health throughout life. The present literature inventory targeted evidence for the physiological and nutritional effects of metabolites, for exampl...
Article
BACKGROUND: Dietary-induced weight loss is generally accompanied by a decline in skeletal muscle mass. The loss of muscle mass leads to a decline in muscle strength and impairs physical performance. A high dietary protein intake has been suggested to allow muscle mass preservation during energy intake restriction. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impa...
Article
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There is growing evidence that dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is associated with the pathogenesis of both intestinal and extra-intestinal disorders. Intestinal disorders include inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and coeliac disease, while extra-intestinal disorders include allergy, asthma, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascul...
Article
In ulcerative colitis (UC) the butyrate metabolism is impaired, leading to energy-deficiency in the colonic cells. The effect of inflammation on the butyrate metabolism was investigated. HT-29 cells were incubated with pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and/or IFN-γ) for 1h and 24h. Cells were additionally stimulated with butyrate to investigate its...
Chapter
Composed of nearly a thousand different types of micro-organisms, some beneficial, others not, the human gut microbiota plays an important role in health and disease. This is due to the presence of probiotic or beneficial microbes, or due to the feeding of prebiotics that stimulate the endogenous beneficial microbes: these promote health by stimula...
Article
We assessed whether a wheat bran extract (WBE) containing arabinoxylan oligosaccharides (AXOS) elicited a prebiotic effect and modulated gastrointestinal parameters in healthy preadolescent children upon consumption in a beverage. This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial evaluated the effects of consuming WBE at 0 (control...
Article
Wheat bran extract (WBE), containing arabinoxylan-oligosaccharides that are potential prebiotic substrates, has been shown to modify bacterial colonic fermentation in human subjects and to beneficially affect the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) in rats. However, it is unclear whether these changes in fermentation are able to reduce the risk...
Article
ScopeIn vitro and animal studies have shown differential colonic fermentation of structurally different prebiotics. We evaluated the impact of 2 structurally different prebiotics (wheat bran extract (WBE, containing arabinoxylan-oligosaccharides) and oligofructose)) on colonic fermentation and markers of bowel health in healthy volunteers.Methods a...
Article
Full-text available
Background Impaired intestinal barrier function, low-grade inflammation and altered neuronal control are reported in functional gastrointestinal disorders. However, the sequence of and causal relation between these events is unclear, necessitating a spontaneous animal model. The aim of this study was to describe the natural history of intestinal pe...
Article
Full-text available
Wheat bran extract (WBE) is a food-grade soluble fibre preparation that is highly enriched in arabinoxylan-oligosaccharides. In this placebo-controlled cross-over human intervention trial, tolerance to WBE as well as the effects of WBE on faecal parameters, including faecal output and bowel habits, were studied. After a 2-week run-in period, twenty...
Article
Full-text available
Significance Alcohol-dependent subjects frequently develop emotional symptoms that contribute to the persistence of alcohol drinking. These subjects are also characterized by gastrointestinal disturbances. In this study, we showed that alcohol-dependent subjects with altered intestinal permeability had also altered gut-microbiota composition and ac...
Article
Full-text available
Alcohol dependence has traditionally considered as a brain disorder. Alteration of gut microbiota composition has been recently shown in psychiatric disorders, which suggest the possibility of gut to brain interactions in the development of alcohol dependence. The aim of the present study was to explore whether the changes in gut permeability are l...
Article
Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the two major phenotypes of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) which constitute a spectrum of chronic, debilitating diseases characterised by a relapsing inflammation of the intestinal mucosal lining. Evidence from a variety of disciplines implicates the intestinal microbiota in the pathogenesis o...
Article
Full-text available
Background Serum p-cresyl sulfate (PCS) associates with cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease. PCS concentrations are determined by intestinal uptake of p-cresol, human metabolism to PCS and renal clearance. Whether intestinal uptake of p-cresol itself is directly associated with cardiovascular disease in patients with rena...