Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is an umbrella term used for two medical conditions; Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Inflammatory Bowel Disease implicates chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. When left untreated, the persistent inflammation ends up damaging the gastrointestinal tract, leading to further serious complications.
Some of the common symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease include fatigue, rectal bleeding, diarrhea, weight loss, and abdominal pain.
What Causes Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
It’s still unclear what the exact cause of IBD is as there is no concrete evidence or studies. However, the scientific findings that exists have caused most medical practitioners to believe that IBD might be a result of genetics or a malfunctioning immune system.
Years of observation have also lead to the belief that certain factors can increase one’s risk of an IBD. One of the biggest risk factors is smoking. Smokers are twice as likely to contract Chron’s disease as non-smokers.
Role of Diet in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
It’s a common saying that you are what you eat. This raises the question if our dietary intake has any role to play in inflammatory bowel disease.
There is no definite answer to this hypothesis, as researchers have yet to gather enough evidence to hand out concrete conclusions. However, both doctors and patients have been quick to observe the eating patterns and their correlation with IBD. Here’s what has been observed by many so far:
Processed Food
Processed food with tons of additives, such as carrageenan and maltodextrin are more likely to worsen the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease. Most doctors recommend their patients to steer clear of processed food entirely to help manage the symptoms.
Research has found that one of the major reasons why people who live in industrialized countries are more susceptible to contracting IBD is because their diets are generally rich in processed foods.
Nutrient-Rich Food
It’s unclear whether intake of nutrient-rich food can help prevent inflammatory bowel disease, but they are known to help keep the symptoms to a minimum.
However, one study did find out that IBD is relatively lower in China, South Korea, and Puerto Rico. Which led many to believe that perhaps the western diet of high fats and protein and low in fruits and vegetables could be the likely cause behind IBD.
Low-Residue Diet
Doctors highly suggest the patients reduce the amount of fiber and dairy products from their diet. This restricted diet leaves behind a low residue, that is, undigested material is minimum.
A low-residue diet is not a preventive measure, but a means to reduce the symptoms of IBD and minimize instances of diarrhea and chronic abdominal pain.
However. This diet isn’t recommended to be followed for a long time, as lack of all the nutrients can lead to other health issues.
Since there is no cure for IBD, it’s always a good idea to develop a diet, rich in fruits and vegetables and low in processed foods to curb the diseases and/or reduce its symptoms, despite the lack of evidence. However, it’s important to consult your doctor or a nutritionist to make sure you’re not missing out any essential nutrients for a long time, which could expose you to other health issues.
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