Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Essay Example

Inflammatory bowel disease is the chronic relapse of the intestinal inflammation. The disorders in this group include ulcerative colitis and Crohns disease. This is a growing global health concern that is associated with a consistent immune attack on the microbes in the gut, powered by genetic risk factor of a person (Fakhoury, Negrulj, Mooranian, & Al-Salami, 2014). The exact cause of the inflammatory bowel disease is not known, but studies have linked the complex interaction of genetic make-up, microbial, environmental, and immune reactions factors. The latest studies have revealed that there are more than 160 susceptibility gene loci for the condition. Since the genetic factor plays a small role in itself in the cause of the disease, therefore, the microbial and environmental contributes significantly to the pathogenesis of the disease. Additionally, when the innate and adaptive immune system interacts with microbes in the gut, the inflammation occurs (Zhang & Li, 2014). Some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin have been linked to the etiology or relapse of this condition. These drugs when used for long to help control the condition they instead worsen it. Antibiotics are other risk factors when used as they have an impact on the microbiome in the gut. The mood disorder and stress are also the triggers of the onset of the condition, since these people are subject to anti-depressants which are linked to the onset of the condition. Furthermore, the presence of adherent and invasive E.coli pathogens in the colon have been associated with the onset of the inflammatory condition. IL-23 is considered an essential cytokine for both innate and adaptive immunity when responding to the attacks by microbes. The activity of this cytokine is associated with the presence of inflammatory agents in the gut that leads to the development and relapse of this condition. Therefore these environmental microbial, and immune-related factors are considered vital in the development of the condition.

Tomatoes and Tomato Products Prevents Chronic Inflammation

The consumption of tomatoes and its products has been linked to the decreased rate of developing a chronic inflammatory disease. It works by triggering the production of immune agents that fight inflammations while suppressing those that induce inflammation. For instance, in a study to establish the efficacy of tomato on treating inflammations, Ketchup which is a tomatoes product was used. The findings indicated that in the presence of ketchup tomato the expression of genes associated with inflation was suppressed while there was an increased number of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The study indicated that the presence of a-tocopherol and the ascorbic acid elements in the tomato improve the strength of the lycopene which has a tremendous effect on the anti-inflammatory effects (Hazewindus, Haenen, Weseler, & Bast, 2014). Additionally in the presence of the tomato ketchup more IL-10 which facilitates anti-inflammation was observed in a large amount, while the IL-8 which leads to inflammation reduced in number. The ketchup anti-inflammatory effect was useful by interrupting the inflammatory phases resulting in inhibition of chemotaxis. Therefore the same knowledge can be used in handling the inflammatory bowel disease described above by reducing the reaction of the immune system on the gut microbes. It will help to minimize the expression of immune cells that lead to inflammation and hence produce more of the anti-inflammatory cells. Additionally, the genes that increase the chances of developing the inflammatory bowel disease will be suppressed hence allowing a person to lead a life with low chances of developing inflammations. Therefore tomato as a food material can be very effective in treating inflammatory diseases.

References

Zhang, Y. Z., & Li, Y. Y. (2014). Inflammatory bowel disease: pathogenesis. World journal of gastroenterology: WJG, 20(1), 91.

Hazewindus, M., Haenen, G. R., Weseler, A. R., & Bast, A. (2014). Protection against chemotaxis in the anti-inflammatory effect of bioactives from tomato ketchup. PloS one, 9(12), e114387.

Fakhoury, M., Negrulj, R., Mooranian, A., & Al-Salami, H. (2014). Inflammatory bowel disease: clinical aspects and treatments. Journal of inflammation research, 7, 113.