{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,24]],"date-time":"2025-10-24T01:13:15Z","timestamp":1761268395631,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,23]],"date-time":"2025-10-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761177600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Microorganisms"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (SUDD) is the primary clinical manifestation of diverticular disease (DD). Although gut microbiota (GM) perturbation and dietary habits are considered important factors in the development of the disease, there is currently a lack of data on the potential relationship between diet, GM profile and SUDD. An exploratory retrospective study was conducted in a SUDD cohort of 47 patients to investigate this relationship; a diverticulosis cohort of 19 patients served as the control group. Patients were stratified by their self-reported dietary habits, i.e., Mediterranean diet, predominantly plant-based diet or omnivorous diet. GM was profiled using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of fecal swabs. SUDD patients following a Mediterranean or predominantly plant-based diet showed higher alpha diversity and enrichment of known fibre degraders and short-chain fatty acid producers, such as members of the Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Oscillospiraceae and Prevotellaceae families. This suggests that their gut (and whole-body) health is less impaired. In contrast, those following an omnivorous diet showed an increased presence of pro-inflammatory taxa, including the mucus degrader R. torques, which suggests impaired gut barrier function and potential systemic implications. Similar associations between GM profile and dietary habits were found when considering SUDD patients with moderate abdominal pain severity (according to visual analogue scale, VAS) and those scored as DICA 1 according to the endoscopic severity of the disease. However, no such associations or trends were observed in SUDD patients scored as DICA 2, which suggests that diet may be unable to impact GM dysbiosis as SUDD severity increases. Despite the study\u2019s limitations, primarily its retrospective design and related biases, our findings suggest that other GM modulation tools should be employed in more severe cases of SUDD to reverse dysbiosis while alleviating symptoms.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms13112428","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,24]],"date-time":"2025-10-24T00:47:36Z","timestamp":1761266856000},"page":"2428","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Impact of Diet on Gut Microbiota in Diverticular Disease of the Colon: An Exploratory Retrospective Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5767-5541","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonio","family":"Tursi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Territorial Gastroenterology Service, Barletta-Andria-Trani Local Health Agency, 76123 Andria, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Medical 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Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Leonardo","family":"Allegretta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Gastroenterology, \u201cSanta Caterina Novella\u201d Hospital, 73013 Galatina, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Natale","family":"Antonino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent Researcher, 76011 Bisceglie, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Elisabetta","family":"Baldi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GIGA-CP Italian Association for Primary Care Gastroenterology, 32032 Feltre, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Carlo","family":"Casamassima","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent Researcher, 76017 San Ferdinando di Puglia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0710-4182","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giovanni","family":"Casella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GIGA-CP Italian Association for Primary Care Gastroenterology, 32032 Feltre, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mario","family":"Ciuffi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GIGA-CP Italian Association for Primary Care Gastroenterology, 32032 Feltre, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marco","family":"De Bastiani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GIGA-CP Italian Association for Primary Care Gastroenterology, 32032 Feltre, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lorenzo","family":"Lazzarotto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GIGA-CP Italian Association for Primary Care Gastroenterology, 32032 Feltre, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Claudio","family":"Licci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent Researcher, 70043 Monopoli, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maurizio","family":"Mancuso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GIGA-CP Italian Association for Primary Care Gastroenterology, 32032 Feltre, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Antonio","family":"Penna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent Researcher, 70122 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Pranzo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ambulatory for IBD Treatment, \u201cValle D\u2019Itria\u201d Hospital, 74015 Martina Franca, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Guido","family":"Sanna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GIGA-CP Italian Association for Primary Care Gastroenterology, 32032 Feltre, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8600-9003","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cesare","family":"Tosetti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GIGA-CP Italian Association for Primary Care Gastroenterology, 32032 Feltre, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maria","family":"Zamparella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GIGA-CP Italian Association for Primary Care Gastroenterology, 32032 Feltre, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5070-8240","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marcello","family":"Picchio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Surgery, \u201cP. 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