Study finds abnormal intestinal oxalate metabolism in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, related to immune response

2026/10/03 14:28

Plant-based foods such as spinach contain naturally occurring oxalic acid, and new research explores the link between oxalate metabolism and inflammatory bowel disease. (File photo)

[Compiled by Chen Chengliang/Comprehensive Report] Spinach, beetroot, almonds, sweet potatoes, etc. are often regarded as healthy foods, but a new study found that some patients with inflammatory bowel disease may not be able to effectively process certain natural substances in these plant foods, allowing them to accumulate in the intestines and be related to inflammatory reactions.

The science website "Science Alert" reported that a research team at the University of North Carolina conducted a study on oxalate, which naturally occurs in plant foods, and found that patients with Crohn's disease consumed similar amounts of plant foods as healthy people, but the concentration of oxalate in the feces of the former was higher, indicating that the problem may not be just "how much" they eat, but the way their intestines process oxalate.

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The key is not just how much you eat

The research team analyzed the diet and stool of 46 subjects and examined hundreds of intestinal tissue samples. The results showed that in the intestinal tissue of patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, the activity of genes related to the SLC26A2 and SLC26A3 transport proteins responsible for absorbing oxalic acid was lower, which may make it more difficult to effectively remove oxalic acid.

Studies have also been conducted on mice with intestinal inflammation. Mice fed additional oxalic acid lost more weight, had longer-lasting intestinal inflammation, and had poorer survival. The researchers further observed mouse immune cells in the laboratory and found that oxalic acid increased the inflammatory response, a clue pointing to an immune effect rather than just direct damage to intestinal tissue by oxalic acid.

The research team then examined the SLC26A2 and SLC26A3 transport proteins in the intestine, which help absorb oxalic acid in the intestine into intestinal cells. In hundreds of intestinal tissue samples from people with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and healthy people, the researchers found that the activity of genes involved in making these two proteins was lower in samples from people with inflammatory bowel disease.

The research results were published in the journal Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology. The research team does not recommend that ordinary people stop eating spinach, almonds and other plant foods. The current results still mainly come from patient data, mice and cell experiments. Which patients are more sensitive to oxalic acid and whether adjusting oxalic acid intake can improve the condition still need to be confirmed by larger-scale studies.