Glycosaminoglycans from Animal Tissue Foods and Gut Health
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are a special group of carbohydrates with structures that clearly distinguishes them from glycoproteins, and exert biological effects beyond basic nutrition. The complex nature of cell-surface and GAG-related structures present in extracellular matrix has led to the neglect of this potential therapeutic site for a long time. Consideration about carbohydrates only as energy source has become reoriented because of their pivotal roles in many biological processes; however, scarce advances have been made on GAG characterization in foods. This review focuses on the potential consequences of dietary GAGs on human intestinal health, considering nutritional aspects and bio…
Intestinal Microbiota and Celiac Disease: Cause, Consequence or Co-Evolution?
It is widely recognized that the intestinal microbiota plays a role in the initiation and perpetuation of intestinal inflammation in numerous chronic conditions. Most studies report intestinal dysbiosis in celiac disease (CD) patients, untreated and treated with a gluten-free diet (GFD), compared to healthy controls. CD patients with gastrointestinal symptoms are also known to have a different microbiota compared to patients with dermatitis herpetiformis and controls, suggesting that the microbiota is involved in disease manifestation. Furthermore, a dysbiotic microbiota seems to be associated with persistent gastrointestinal symptoms in treated CD patients, suggesting its pathogenic implic…