Conclusions
Baseline LBP levels were correlated with disease activity markers and dietary factors, suggesting that it could be a useful biomarker for assessing disease activity and diet quality in UC. Further trials are needed to confirm these findings.
Methods
A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 37 UC participants who had baseline measures of dietary intake, disease activity and serum. Serum LBP and zonulin levels were measured by ELISA. Spearman's rank correlations explored relationships between baseline IP, diet, and disease activity.
Results
The median age was 35 years (29-47 years), 54% were male, and 76% were in clinical remission or had mild disease activity (partial Mayo score ≤ 4). LBP was significantly correlated (p < 0.05) with disease activity (partial Mayo score (r = 0.31), and positively correlated with total fat (r = 0.42) and refined grains (r = 0.35), but negatively correlated with fruit consumption (r = -0.50) and diet quality (r = -0.33). Zonulin was negatively correlated with protein (r = -0.39), niacin (r = -0.52) and vitamin B12 (r = -0.45) with a trend for significance (p = 0.06) with body mass index (r = 0.32). Conclusions: Baseline LBP levels were correlated with disease activity markers and dietary factors, suggesting that it could be a useful biomarker for assessing disease activity and diet quality in UC. Further trials are needed to confirm these findings.