- Researchers from the Medical University of Lodz in Poland investigated how diet can affect the severity of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- IBD includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which can cause severe gastrointestinal problems.
- A study of participants with IBD showed that those with diets deemed anti-inflammatory were more likely to be in remission or have mild disease.
- People whose diets tended towards being pro-inflammatory, however, were up to three times more likely to have moderate-to-severe IBD.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects millions of people in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The exact cause of IBD is not yet known, but many scientists believe both genetics and the environment can factor into someone developing it. There is currently no cure, but treatments can help reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.
In addition to medical therapies, researchers are exploring how lifestyle factors, including diet, may impact the severity of IBD.
A new study published in Nutrients examined the diets of 90 people with IBD to see whether their diets are linked to disease activity.
IBD is an autoimmune disorder that includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Both diseases are chronic and can cause flare-ups of symptoms.
Crohn’s can affect any part of the digestive tract, especially the small intestine and colon. Inflammation can cause symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, fatigue, and weight loss.
Ulcerative colitis affects the large intestine (colon and rectum). It often causes ulcers, bleeding, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
To explore how diet influences IBD severity, the researchers studied 90 participants with IBD — 46 had Crohn’s, and 44 had ulcerative colitis.
Around 36% of the participants were in disease remission, 22% had mild disease, 31% had moderate disease, and 11% had severe disease.
Part of the study included determining the severity of the participants’ IBD symptoms. For Crohn’s, the researchers used the Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (CDAI), and for ulcerative colitis, they used the Partial Mayo Score.
The participants underwent three dietary interviews where they provided information on what they had eaten over the past 24-hour period. They also completed food frequency questionnaires which cover broader eating habits.
This information was used to determine each person’s Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), which gauges how strongly food intake promotes or reduces inflammation.
According to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, foods such as red meats and processed items can cause inflammation, whereas foods such as fruits and vegetables, or foods high in omega-3 fatty acids are more likely to reduce inflammation.
Additionally, the participants provided blood samples for the researchers to analyze for cytokine inflammation markers related to IBD.
When the researchers compared DII scores across participants, they found no significant difference between people with Crohn’s disease and those with ulcerative colitis overall. However, the scores did reveal a strong connection to disease severity.
Participants whose IBD was mild or in remission generally had lower (more anti-inflammatory) DII scores, suggesting their diets included more foods known to calm inflammation.
By contrast, participants with moderate to severe symptoms had higher (more pro-inflammatory) scores.
This trend remained even after adjusting for factors such as age, smoking status, and treatment type. People with pro-inflammatory diets were about three times more likely to have worse IBD symptoms.
The scientists did not find any association between DII scores and blood cytokine levels. They say this may be due to the smaller size of the study.
Overall, the study emphasizes the importance an anti-inflammatory diet may have on IBD. While further studies are needed, the findings are encouraging for people trying to manage their IBD symptoms through diet choices.
Raj Dasgupta, MD, Chief Medical Advisor for Sleepopolis, and associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of California, spoke with Medical News Today about the study.
“This study reinforces what we’ve been seeing for a while,” said Dasgupta, who was not involved in this research. “It’s another piece of evidence that diet isn’t just background [and] can play a real role in how the disease shows up.”
He noted that pro-inflammatory foods may contribute directly to IBD flare-ups. “These foods can disrupt the gut microbiome, weaken the intestinal barrier, and drive inflammation in the body,” mentioned Dasgupta. “For someone with IBD, that extra inflammation can make flare-ups more likely or more intense.”
Speaking about what people can do to reduce risk, Dasgupta recommended focusing on anti-inflammatory eating patterns. He advised that:
“I usually recommend a Mediterranean-style approach. More fruits, vegetables, lean proteins like fish, whole grains if tolerated, and fewer processed and sugary foods.”
