Evaluating gut microbiome, sleep quality and gut inflammation trajectories in IBD
| Sunday, May 17, 2026 |
| 11:54 AM - 12:06 PM |
| Arthur Streeton Auditorium |
Overview
Dr Paris Tavakoli
Details
Sleep disturbances are frequently reported in individuals with IBD and have been associated with increased disease activity, a higher risk of relapse, and diminished quality of life.
Investigating the longitudinal interplay between gut microbiome dynamics, sleep quality, and gut inflammation in patients with IBD, and to assess how these factors interact with disease activity and treatment modalities over time.
A total of 59 participants (24 UC, 26 CD patients in clinical remission, and 9 IBS patients with minimum baseline symptoms) were followed over a 12-month period. Comprehensive longitudinal data were collected monthly to investigate associations over time. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) (Buysse et al., 1989). Participants also completed a monthly wellbeing questionnaire and a validated self-report IBD symptom diary. Monthly blood and stool samples provided measures of serum CRP, and faecal calprotectin (F-Cal), and monitoring of gut microbiome dynamics and clinical indices of disease activity. Microbiome profiling was conducted via sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene, yielding 3.3 million contigs retained after quality control and subsampling.
Baseline analysis; Similar biochemical activity and sleep duration, disturbances, daytime dysfunction, and overall sleep quality were identified among the three groups at baseline as expected, given shared disease remission.
Baseline microbial assessment suggested a significant reduction in bacterial diversity in the CD group compared to the IBS group (p = 0.046), but similar bacterial diversity between UC and IBS patients (p = 0.093), and no difference between CD and UC patients at baseline (p = 0.67). Assessing the relationship between sleep and microbial profile showed a strong negative relationship between sleep latency with quantitative species-based measure of microbial α-diversity (Shannon) (r= -0.425, p= 0.001) and with microbial evenness (r= -0.401, p= 0.002) at baseline. Examining the coefficient of change within IBD group (CD Vs UC) suggested a strong longitudinal linear coefficient of change in sleep (PSQI; p<0.001) with larger magnitude of coefficient of change in CD group, a significant longitudinal linear coefficient of change in measures related to microbial diversity (Shannon, p=0.001) and microbial richness (Chao1, p= 0.012) over time with larger magnitude of linear coefficient of change in UC group.
Despite clinical remission in IBD patients, longitudinal alterations were observed in disease-related factors such as sleep quality and gut microbiome dynamics. Notably, sleep quality exhibited significant longitudinal changes predominantly in CD, whereas microbial diversity and richness demonstrated marked changes in UC.
Speaker
Dr Paris Tavakoli
St Vincent And St George Hospitals
Evaluating gut microbiome, sleep quality and gut inflammation trajectories in IBD
Abstract
Sleep disturbances are frequently reported in individuals with IBD and have been associated with increased disease activity, a higher risk of relapse, and diminished quality of life.
Investigating the longitudinal interplay between gut microbiome dynamics, sleep quality, and gut inflammation in patients with IBD, and to assess how these factors interact with disease activity and treatment modalities over time.
A total of 59 participants (24 UC, 26 CD patients in clinical remission, and 9 IBS patients with minimum baseline symptoms) were followed over a 12-month period. Comprehensive longitudinal data were collected monthly to investigate associations over time. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) (Buysse et al., 1989). Participants also completed a monthly wellbeing questionnaire and a validated self-report IBD symptom diary. Monthly blood and stool samples provided measures of serum CRP, and faecal calprotectin (F-Cal), and monitoring of gut microbiome dynamics and clinical indices of disease activity. Microbiome profiling was conducted via sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene, yielding 3.3 million contigs retained after quality control and subsampling.
Baseline analysis; Similar biochemical activity and sleep duration, disturbances, daytime dysfunction, and overall sleep quality were identified among the three groups at baseline as expected, given shared disease remission.
Baseline microbial assessment suggested a significant reduction in bacterial diversity in the CD group compared to the IBS group (p = 0.046), but similar bacterial diversity between UC and IBS patients (p = 0.093), and no difference between CD and UC patients at baseline (p = 0.67). Assessing the relationship between sleep and microbial profile showed a strong negative relationship between sleep latency with quantitative species-based measure of microbial α-diversity (Shannon) (r= -0.425, p= 0.001) and with microbial evenness (r= -0.401, p= 0.002) at baseline. Examining the coefficient of change within IBD group (CD Vs UC) suggested a strong longitudinal linear coefficient of change in sleep (PSQI; p<0.001) with larger magnitude of coefficient of change in CD group, a significant longitudinal linear coefficient of change in measures related to microbial diversity (Shannon, p=0.001) and microbial richness (Chao1, p= 0.012) over time with larger magnitude of linear coefficient of change in UC group.
Despite clinical remission in IBD patients, longitudinal alterations were observed in disease-related factors such as sleep quality and gut microbiome dynamics. Notably, sleep quality exhibited significant longitudinal changes predominantly in CD, whereas microbial diversity and richness demonstrated marked changes in UC.
Investigating the longitudinal interplay between gut microbiome dynamics, sleep quality, and gut inflammation in patients with IBD, and to assess how these factors interact with disease activity and treatment modalities over time.
A total of 59 participants (24 UC, 26 CD patients in clinical remission, and 9 IBS patients with minimum baseline symptoms) were followed over a 12-month period. Comprehensive longitudinal data were collected monthly to investigate associations over time. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) (Buysse et al., 1989). Participants also completed a monthly wellbeing questionnaire and a validated self-report IBD symptom diary. Monthly blood and stool samples provided measures of serum CRP, and faecal calprotectin (F-Cal), and monitoring of gut microbiome dynamics and clinical indices of disease activity. Microbiome profiling was conducted via sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene, yielding 3.3 million contigs retained after quality control and subsampling.
Baseline analysis; Similar biochemical activity and sleep duration, disturbances, daytime dysfunction, and overall sleep quality were identified among the three groups at baseline as expected, given shared disease remission.
Baseline microbial assessment suggested a significant reduction in bacterial diversity in the CD group compared to the IBS group (p = 0.046), but similar bacterial diversity between UC and IBS patients (p = 0.093), and no difference between CD and UC patients at baseline (p = 0.67). Assessing the relationship between sleep and microbial profile showed a strong negative relationship between sleep latency with quantitative species-based measure of microbial α-diversity (Shannon) (r= -0.425, p= 0.001) and with microbial evenness (r= -0.401, p= 0.002) at baseline. Examining the coefficient of change within IBD group (CD Vs UC) suggested a strong longitudinal linear coefficient of change in sleep (PSQI; p<0.001) with larger magnitude of coefficient of change in CD group, a significant longitudinal linear coefficient of change in measures related to microbial diversity (Shannon, p=0.001) and microbial richness (Chao1, p= 0.012) over time with larger magnitude of linear coefficient of change in UC group.
Despite clinical remission in IBD patients, longitudinal alterations were observed in disease-related factors such as sleep quality and gut microbiome dynamics. Notably, sleep quality exhibited significant longitudinal changes predominantly in CD, whereas microbial diversity and richness demonstrated marked changes in UC.
Biography
Dr. Paris Tavakoli (BA, BSc, MSc, PhD) is an ECR Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Microbiome Research Centre (MRC) and is affiliated with St George and St Vincent’s Hospitals. She was awarded her PhD in Medicine in 2020 from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, where her research focused on the intersection of microbiome science and clinical applications in IBD. Following the completion of her PhD, Dr. Tavakoli transitioned into a NSW Health project manager role whilst maintaining a significant role within the Australian IBD Microbiome (AIM) study. The AIM Study is one of the leading global initiatives in IBD microbiome research, focusing on advancing our understanding of the microbiome’s role in IBD pathogenesis and treatment. Dr. Tavakoli has made impactful contributions to the scientific literature, being the primary author of two peer-reviewed original research articles including Frontiers in Medicine (cited 116 times) and Public Health Review Journals. Additionally, she has co-authored four other peer-reviewed publications.
Her research expertise extends to the management and coordination of multi-centre clinical studies, particularly in the specialised field of IBD. With substantial experience in overseeing complex clinical research projects, Dr. Tavakoli has demonstrated a strong ability to collaborate across institutions and disciplines, contributing to the advancement of IBD research on both a national and international scale.
