Did you know that around 70% of our body’s immune cells are located in the gut?
And although only 1% of Canadians have celiac disease, up to 3.5% of children with juvenile arthritis can have it- which is why it’s so important to pay attention to what’s going on inside your body!
This has caused scientists to pay special attention to the 100 trillion+ microorganisms living in the gut when trying to answer every parent’s burning question, why did my child develop arthritis? And while research has yet to determine the exact cause of JIA (that’s the Idiopathic part), we do know that the microbiome plays a key role in how our immune system functions and overall health.
That’s why we turned to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Research Associate Kelsey Thompson, SickKids Pediatric Rheumatologist, Dr. Brian Feldman SickKids, and father-daughter duo David and Cassie Porte to learn more about both research and lived experiences relating to gut health, celiac disease, and juvenile arthritis.
Check out our JIA & Microbiome Connection Webinar Recording for answers to questions like:
- What happens when there are undesirable microbes
- Treatment that may allow the good microbes in the gut to come back
- How changes in gut microbes affect both the function of the gut (i.e., decreased nutrient availability and inflammatory disease symptoms)
- How gut microbes rapidly change with age
- If disturbances to the microbiome make JIA symptoms worse
- What’s next for research on the JIA-Gut Microbiome connection
- What kind of supplements pre/probiotics might be helpful
- How to live with a double diagnosis of JIA and Celiac
- And more!
additional resources
Gut Microbiome Book Recommendation
Dr. Brian Feldman suggests giving the book ‘Spoon-Fed’ by Tim Spector a read!
Celiac-Friendly Recipes from the Celiac Disease Foundation
Cassie’s Recommendation: Brownies with Cookie Dough Frosting with gluten-free flour substituted – yum!
