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The Potential Benefits of a Mediterranean Diet for Children with Arthritis: The DIGEST-JA Study

Innovation

Families of children with arthritis are highly interested in the benefits of diet to improve their child's disease and future health outcomes. We know from previous research that the germs – bacteria and other organisms – that live in our intestines (gut microbiome) are important to how well our immune systems work, and we know that what we eat changes our gut microbiome.

Discovery

We will study whether a certain diet – the Mediterranean Diet – will improve arthritis for children and whether it was changes in the microbiome that led to improvement.

Engagement

Participants in this study will be asked to change their diet for an 8-12 week period and will follow the Mediterranean Diet. At three time points during the study (beginning, middle, and end), participants will provide stool and blood samples, will complete questionnaires about diet and other aspects of lifestyle and health, and will complete a disease assessment by a clinician. From collecting all these samples and information, we will be able to determine if the diet was successful in improving disease activity in children with arthritis and if the gut microbiome was changed as well.

Action

This study will help us figure out if a larger, and more definitive, study like this is possible to do in children with arthritis and will help us design a bigger multinational study to confirm how diet affects disease outcomes and the microbiome in children with arthritis. If successful, this research will provide scientific knowledge to help families make their way through this difficult to-navigate topic.