Gut and nasal microbiome of a fiber intervention in asthma
Asthma is a complex inflammatory disease of the airways that is estimated to affect 300 million people worldwide. Incidence of asthma is steadily increasing in Western populations; an additional 100 million asthma diagnoses are anticipated by the year 2025. Asthma is a multifactorial disease affected by genetic and environmental factors. One major and potentially modifiable environmental factor is the Western diet; one high in sugar, saturated fats, and low in fiber. Diet rapidly influences the microbiome, which in turn, may influence inflammatory airway diseases via a gut microbiome-airway axis. We hypothesize that prebiotic dietary fiber supplementation leads to changes in the gut microbiome, increased circulating short chain fatty acids, and improvement in asthma disease outcomes.