A diet high in wheat fiber protects mice from intestinal inflammation, according to a study published by researchers at Georgia State University’s Institute of Biomedical Sciences (IBMS). This finding helps explain why the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing and suggests that eating whole wheat foods may reduce the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease.
The study is reported in two research papers published in the journal. Scientific advances and mucosal immunology – They investigated the impact of wheat fiber, which is present in whole wheat and wholemeal bread but is largely absent from “white bread” and other products made from refined wheat flour.
The researchers found that the metabolism of wheat fiber by gut bacteria produces bioactive anti-inflammatory metabolites such as polyphenols, which reprogram intestinal immune cells to suppress inflammation and protect mice from the development of acute and chronic enteritis.
Changes in food production, particularly the increased use of highly refined wheat products, have reduced dietary intake of wheat fiber, which may contribute to the increased prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease. If this finding holds true in humans, it would suggest that choosing whole-wheat bread, pasta, and other flour-based products rather than white versions may reduce the risk of developing IBD. Additionally, research suggests that adding wheat fiber to processed foods also provides this benefit.
Wheat fiber is just one fiber that is often not consumed in sufficient quantities in developed countries. In fact, most people in developed countries do not meet health organizations’ recommendations to consume at least 25 to 38 grams of fiber per day. These recommendations are based on evidence that eating plant-based foods naturally rich in fiber is associated with good health, and a series of animal studies showing that enriching diets with fiber promotes beneficial health outcomes.
However, such studies have primarily focused on fibers that have not historically been major components of diets in the West, such as psyllium, derived from plantago seeds, and inulin, derived from chicory root. Therefore, the observation that wheat fiber, historically abundant in Western diets, conferred such benefits is particularly relevant in recognizing the importance of dietary fiber for gut health. Furthermore, the mechanism of action of wheat fiber is very different from other fibers. Specifically, wheat fiber does not work by increasing short-chain fatty acids like soluble fiber, but by releasing bound polyphenols when digested by gut bacteria. In fact, wheat fiber only benefited the mice if they contained a microbiome that could catabolize wheat fiber and release polyphenols.
These findings support the hypothesis that the widespread adoption of bran removal in the production of wheat-based foods has contributed to the increased incidence of chronic inflammatory diseases. Additionally, they suggest that incorporating wheat fiber into processed foods may make them healthier. ”
Andrew T. Gewirtz, senior author of the study and Regents Professor at the Georgia State Biomedical Research Institute
“The chemistry of dietary fiber can be very complex,” said Sung-woong G. Kim (PhD ’25), lead author of the study and recent IBMS Ph.D. alumnus and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Weill Cornell University. “But the gut bacteria are very good at metabolizing them, and the immune system benefits greatly.”
“In fact, the more we study dietary fiber, the more we understand that it is a very diverse compound and that fiber from different plants has different health-promoting effects,” Gewirtz added. “A deeper understanding of these molecules should eventually allow us to produce healthier processed foods, but in the meantime, choosing whole wheat and whole grain breads and incorporating a variety of fruits and vegetables into your diet seems like a good idea.”
Other authors of the Science Advances study include Rachael Ott, Alexis Bretin, Hirohito Abo, Yanling Wang, Yadong Wang, and Vu L. Ngo of Georgia State Biomedical Research Institute. Sean Weiner of the University of Toronto. Daniel A. Weiner of the University of Toronto, Buck Institute on Aging, and Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI), University Health Network; Lavanya Reddybali of Purdue University. Stacey L. Heber and Ruth E. Ray of the Max Planck Institute for Biology; and Michael Pellizson of Research Diets Inc.
This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Research Fellowship Award.
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Reference magazines:
Kim, S.G. others. (2025). Peripheral regulatory T cells induced by wheat fiber suppress the development of colitis. mucosal immunology. DOI: 10.1016/j.mucimm.2025.12.003. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1933021925001394
