Study points to gut bacteria and bile acids as potential drivers of inflammation, while psyllium appears to blunt harmful effects.
Mice fed beef protein developed more severe colitis than mice fed pea protein, and the difference appeared to be driven by changes in gut bacteria and bile acid metabolism, according to a study published in Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Researchers from Stony Brook University, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and Cornell University evaluated diets containing protein isolates from beef, pea, soy, egg white, and casein in several mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The study’s lead author, Simon Gray, is a 2025 AGA Research Scholar Award recipient. Across the models, beef protein was linked to the highest levels of inflammation, while pea protein was linked to the lowest.
Read the full article in AGA’s official newspaper,GI & Hepatology News.