{"id":1104,"date":"2022-07-19T17:35:05","date_gmt":"2022-07-19T17:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cdhf.staging.not4prod.com\/?p=1104"},"modified":"2022-11-16T17:44:48","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T17:44:48","slug":"inflammatory-bowel-disease-and-dietary-patterns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cdhf.ca\/en\/inflammatory-bowel-disease-and-dietary-patterns\/","title":{"rendered":"Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Dietary Patterns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is Crohn’s Disease?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Crohn’s disease<\/a>\u00a0is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that is associated with alterations in the gut microbiome (defined as the collective\u00a0genomes of bacteria, bacteriophage, fungi, protozoa and viruses living inside the gastrointestinal system). Crohn\u2019s disease is believed to arise from a shared interaction between genetic and environmental influences, such as dietary patterns (Raman, 2020).
Crohn\u2019s disease most commonly occurs in the small intestine and the colon. It can affect any part of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract, from gum (mouth) to bum (anus), and can involve some parts of the GI tract while skipping others. The range of severity for Crohn\u2019s is mild to debilitating, depending on a number of factors. Symptoms vary and can change over time. In severe cases, the disease can lead to life threatening flare-ups and complications. There has been a steady rise in new cases of IBD over the past 0.3% of the population (Holland, 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What causes Crohn\u2019s disease, and what are the treatment options?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The recent increase in incidence of Crohn\u2019s disease across newly industrialized countries suggests environmental factors induce or modify the disease. This has occurred in parallel with global dietary shifts towards a more \u201cWestern\u201d style of eating. In addition to the external environment, other factors influencing the chances of developing Crohn\u2019s are the immune system, and the genetic background of an individual. In fact, up to 20 percent of people with Crohn\u2019s disease also have a parent, child, or sibling with the disease, according to the Crohn\u2019s and Colitis Foundation of America (Abdalla, 2017).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certain factors can affect the severity of a patient\u2019s symptoms, including whether they smoke, their age, whether or not the rectum is involved, and the length of time they\u2019ve had the disease (Cosnes, 2012).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common medical therapies include corticosteroids, immunomodulatory and biologic agents, and surgery. However, these therapies are not universally effective – the disease may recur and drugs may be associated with serious side effects. More recently, guidelines have included dietary therapies as a treatment option (Raman, 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the correlation between dietary patterns and Crohn\u2019s disease?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Research has long explored the link between diet and the quality of life for a patient with Crohn\u2019s disease, however, diet guidelines for IBD treatment have been lacking until recently. Dr. Maitreyi Kothandaraman (Dr. Raman) is a gastroenterologist, and an Associate Professor at the University of Calgary.  She is also the director of the university\u2019s Clinician Investigator Program (CIP) and the Medical Director of Alberta’s Collaboration of Excellence for Nutrition in Digestive Diseases (ASCEND<\/a>). Her research alongside her colleagues has helped explore the nutritional and dietary requirements for chronic gastrointestinal conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n

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