Abstract
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) affect the gastrointestinal tract: they include Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Each has a different phenotypic spectrum, characterized by gastrointestinal and extra-intestinal manifestations. People living with IBD are very interested in diet, but little is known about the impact of diet on these patients; no guidelines are available yet. In this review, we analyze the dietary patterns of patients with IBD and the approach to the choices of foods both in adults and pediatric patients. Very often, IBD patients report an intentional avoidance of gluten to manage the disease; furthermore, a proportion of IBD patients believe that dairy products worsen their symptoms and that avoidance may help the disease. They have a low compliance with the Mediterranean Diet, which is considered to have potential benefits but is little used in practice. In conclusion, the review underscores the pivotal role of nutritional counselling in IBD patients, and the importance of future clinical studies to evaluate the beneficial effects of dietary recommendations in the management of IBD.
Highlights
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are a heterogeneous group of inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, with a chronic or recurrent clinical course, characterized by phases of exacerbation and remission
Diet can play a key role in the etiology and symptoms of IBD
Studies in the literature have shown an improvement in symptoms following a Gluten-Free Diet (GFD); it is not entirely clear whether this improvement is due to the exclusion of gluten from the diet or the reduction in FODMAPs
Summary
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are a heterogeneous group of inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, with a chronic or recurrent clinical course, characterized by phases of exacerbation and remission. Dietary changes might be helpful in reducing symptoms, such as abdominal pain or diarrhea, and lessening the effects of IBD complications [6]; to date, the impact of diet on the disease is still highly debated in literature, and there are no dietary guidelines. This lack of clear information pushes patients to seek information from other sources and increases the risk of self-imposed dietary restrictions with important negative consequences on patients’ health [7]. We analyze the dietary patterns of patients with IBD and how these patterns change according to the severity of the disease
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