# Evaluation of Soluble Fiber as a Strategy to Decrease Asthma Morbidity in Underserved Populations

> **NIH NIH U54** · NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $335,314

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Approximately 7.7% of the US population have asthma, and incidence has been increasing since the 1980s. In
Arizona, asthma prevalence exceeds the national average, with the majority of asthma diagnoses made in the
Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Genetic risk factors have been identified in asthmatics. However, the steady
increase in the prevalence of asthma in the US population suggests that environmental exposures or other
extrapulmonary factors, such as diet and the gut microbiota, may play a critical role in asthma development.
Health disparities in asthma prevalence and morbidity are highlighted in individuals from low-income urban
areas where nutritional health disparities are more likely to exist. For example, poor-urban residence is an
individual risk factor for reporting an asthma attack and having higher odds for an asthma-related visit to the
Emergency Department. Minority children are disproportionately affected by low socioeconomic status. A
recent study demonstrated that 31.4% of non-Hispanic Black children, and 25.2% of Hispanic children lived
under the poverty threshold compared to 9.4% non-Hispanic white children. Economically disadvantaged
urban populations also experience a nutritional health disparity, including a low fiber diet that leads to shifts in
the gut microbiome and may explain differences in asthma risk. Dietary fibers are complex carbohydrates that
resist metabolism in the small intestine by host enzymes and are fermented in the colon by resident microbes.
Gut microbial fermentation of soluble fibers results in production of metabolic by-products such as the short
chain fatty acids (SCFAs) acetate, propionate, and butyrate, which are important molecules that act as a link
between the microbiota and host immune system. We hypothesize that a low fiber diet is a critical, but
understudied, factor in asthma health disparities. The overall goals of this proposal are to determine the effect
of a gut microbiome modifier (fiber) on microbial composition and function in an underserved population. In
addition, we will determine the effect of soluble fiber supplementation in reducing airway inflammation via the
gut microbiome-airway axis. The hypothesis governing this proposal is that gut microbial metabolism of dietary
fiber to SCFAs will reduce airway inflammation by altering the phenotype of T cells and eosinophils. We have
assembled a strong team of clinicians and scientists, and we draw on our pilot study of fiber intervention in a
pediatric asthma cohort to achieve 3 aims. First, we will build on the community partnerships through the PCH
Mobile Asthma Clinic (Breathmobile) to assess baseline fiber consumption and gut microbiota across
underserved communities in Maricopa County. Second, we will evaluate the effect of a soluble fiber
supplement in a pediatric asthma cohort. Finally, we will evaluate the effect of microbial-derived SCFAs on key
immune cell populations. Completion of these aims will provide eviden...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10707490
- **Project number:** 5U54MD012388-07
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Emily K Cope
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $335,314
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-20 → 2027-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10707490

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10707490, Evaluation of Soluble Fiber as a Strategy to Decrease Asthma Morbidity in Underserved Populations (5U54MD012388-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10707490. Licensed CC0.

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