Abstract
BackgroundDespite the worldwide burden of diverticular disease, the connections between diverticular disease and dietary habits remain poorly understood, particularly in an asymptomatic representative sample. We investigated the association between asymptomatic diverticular disease as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and dietary habits in a Western study cohort.MethodsParticipants from a cross-sectional sample of a population-based cohort study underwent whole-body 3T-MRI including an isotropic VIBE-Dixon sequence. The presence and extent of diverticular disease was assessed in blinded fashion. Habitual dietary intake was recorded using a blended approach, applying 24-h food lists and a food-frequency questionnaire. Traditional cardiometabolic risk factors were obtained by interviews and medical examination. Univariate and multivariate associations were calculated.ResultsA total of 308 subjects were included in this analysis (56% male, 56.4 ± 9.1 years). 39.9% had any form of diverticular disease and 15.3% had advanced asymptomatic diverticular disease. After adjustment for age, sex and total energy intake a higher intake of fiber and vegetables was associated with a lower odds for asymptomatic diverticular disease (fiber: OR 0.68 95% CI [0.48, 0.95]; vegetables: OR 0.72 95% CI [0.53, 0.97]) and an increased intake of meat was associated with an approximately two-fold higher odds for advanced asymptomatic diverticular disease (OR 1.84 95% CI [1.13, 2.99]). However, after additional adjustment for body-mass-index (BMI), alcohol consumption, smoking behavior and physical activity only a high fiber and vegetables intake remained significantly associated with lower odds of asymptomatic diverticular disease.ConclusionOur results indicate that a high-fiber diet and increased intake of vegetables is associated with lower odds of having asymptomatic diverticular disease, independent of age, sex, total energy intake, BMI and other life-style factors.
Highlights
Despite the worldwide burden of diverticular disease, the connections between diverticular disease and dietary habits remain poorly understood, in an asymptomatic representative sample
A graded-scale system was used to classify the Prevalence of diverticular disease based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Overall, the prevalence of asymptomatic diverticular disease was high with the highest proportion categorized as mild diverticular disease (24.7%) and 15.3% categorized as advanced diverticular disease
We investigated the association of habitual dietary intake with the presence and extent of asymptomatic diverticular disease as characterized by MRI in a sample of a general Western population
Summary
Despite the worldwide burden of diverticular disease, the connections between diverticular disease and dietary habits remain poorly understood, in an asymptomatic representative sample. We investigated the association between asymptomatic diverticular disease as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and dietary habits in a Western study cohort. Diverticular disease is a common condition in Western countries with increasing prevalence [1,2,3,4]. 4–40% of patients with diverticular disease develop acute or chronic complications [10]. In industrialized western countries, approximately 5% of people in their fifth decade and 50% of those in their ninth decade are affected with asymptomatic diverticular disease [3], indicating that the overall prevalence increases with age and that its medical and economic relevance is likely to increase further as the population ages [11, 12]
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