Dietary fiber consumption may reduce disease flares for some IBD patients, according to a recent study published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Here's what you need to know:
1. IBD patients are sometimes instructed to limit their fiber consumption, since dietary fiber affects the gastrointestinal microbiota — however, there is limited research concerning fiber's effect on IBD activity.
2. To investigate whether fiber consumption is associated with flares in IBD patients, the researchers analyzed dietary surveys from more than 1,000 participants with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and indeterminate colitis.
3. For patients with Crohn's disease, dietary fiber was associated with reduced disease flares. Those who said they did not avoid high-fiber foods were 40 percent less likely to have a flare than those who did avoid high-fiber foods.
4. However, for patients with ulcerative colitis, there was no association between fiber intake and disease fares.
5. The researchers concluded: "recommendations to limit dietary fiber should be re-evaluated."