The research groups of Prof. Anneleen Malfliet (Pain in Motion, PAIN, Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Prof. Doris Vandeputte (AI supported modelling in Clinical Sciences, AIMS, Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Prof. Deliens (Movement and Nutrition for Heaht and Performance, MOVE, Vrije Universiteit Brussel), and Prof. Broux (Chronic Inflammation and Blood brain barrier disruption in Neurodegeneration, CBN, Hasselt University) have joined forces and are seeking a dynamic and highly motivated PhD researcher to conduct innovative scientific research in the field of pain, inflammation, and the gut microbiome. These groups have strong expertise in (chronic) pain, lifestyle interventions, microbiology, nutrition, and inflammatory processes.
Project
Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, imposing a profound personal burden and substantial socioeconomic costs. Despite advances in rehabilitation, long-term outcomes remain suboptimal, highlighting the need to broaden our perspective on CLBP beyond traditional biomedical and biomechanical models. Emerging evidence increasingly positions CLBP as a lifestyle-related condition, in which diet and nutrition play a meaningful, yet underexplored, role. Recent studies show that individuals with CLBP exhibit poorer diet quality than pain-free controls, characterized by lower intake of vegetables and whole grains. These dietary patterns are clinically relevant: plant-based diets rich in vegetables and whole grains are known to promote gut microbiome diversity and stability and are consistently associated with lower levels of systemic inflammatory biomarkers. Given compelling evidence that low-grade systemic inflammation contributes to both the development and persistence of CLBP, targeting diet, specifically through a plant-based, anti-inflammatory approach, represents a promising and innovative therapeutic avenue.
The PLANTIP project addresses this critical gap by investigating a personalized, plant-based dietary intervention integrated within best-evidence rehabilitation care for CLBP. PLANTIP is a double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial with a 12-month follow-up, designed to determine whether combining an anti-inflammatory plant-based diet with contemporary physiotherapy leads to a statistically and clinically meaningful reduction in self-reported pain intensity compared to (1) a plant-based diet alone and (2) physiotherapy alone. By directly comparing these three intervention arms (Diet–Pain, Diet-only, and Pain-only), PLANTIP will disentangle additive and synergistic effects of diet and rehabilitation. Secondary outcomes include changes in diet quality, systemic inflammatory markers, gut microbiota composition, physical function, quality of life, and mental wellbeing. This integrative design allows the study to elucidate biological pathways through which dietary modulation may influence chronic pain, particularly via inflammation and gut dysbiosis.
By embedding mechanistic analyses within a rigorous clinical trial, PLANTIP aims to bridge a critical gap between nutrition science, chronic pain mechanisms, and rehabilitation practice.
For this function, our Brussels Health Campus (Jette) will serve as your home base.
