The Nutritional Therapy for IBD Digest

Empowering Patients and Professionals in Evidence-Based Nutritional Therapy

Each month we analyze all the latest studies and resources relevant to nutrition and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Then we summarize them and bring you up to date on using diet to help manage Crohn’s and colitis.

This month, we’ll cover:

• New studies, and what they mean for you.
• The role of diet in mental health and IBD.
• The relationship between celiac disease and IBD.
• Fresh IBD-friendly summer recipes.
• Helpful apps when following therapeutic diets.

Let’s get to it.

- The Nutritional Therapy for IBD team

P.S. We’ve designed this mail so that clinicians and patients can skip to the parts most relevant to them. Skim-read away!

New Studies and What They Mean for Patients & Clinicians

It can be difficult to stay on top of new publications relating to nutrition and IBD, so each month we highlight them for you.

Here are the latest.

1: A first-of-its-kind pilot study shows a whole-food smoothie diet improves clinical and biochemical remission in just 4 weeks in adolescents with Crohn’s disease.

💡A home-made smoothie plus a multivitamin could be an efficacious and tasty alternative to commercial exclusive enteral nutrition formulas for improving remission of Crohn’s disease in your kids.

 Ask for supervision from a registered dietitian before trying it on your own.

Next month, we’ll dive into the nutritional science behind the paper, the recipe’s ingredients and steps, and highlights from the authors!

2: The American Gastroenterological Association has launched a practical guideline with advice for dietary management during IBD (remission and active disease), intestinal failure, and malnutrition.

💡This new expert review provides 12 best practice advice for gastroenterologists and registered dietitians for optimal nutrition assessment and management in children and adults with IBD.

👉 Read the Article

Stay tuned to an upcoming post on the dos and don’ts of nutritional therapy by the clinical state of IBD!

3: We summarized the most relevant nutritional highlights of ECCO’24 for you:

👉 Explore the how, when, and why of dietary treatments for IBD:

👉 Find out more about what’s new in enteral nutrition, the gut microbiota, and dietary supplements in IBD

Mental Health and IBD 

The association between malnutrition, mental health, and IBD is often overlooked. 

But, coping with Crohn’s or colitis can have a big impact on your mental health and well-being. 

Know you’re not alone. Feeling sad, down, or hopeless is common in those with IBD, and this can be further impacted by malnutrition. 

However, diet may help improve malnutrition symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, and confusion — and improve your mental health, too.

In particular:

• Studies show a healthy Mediterranean diet is best for health in terms of mood, gut inflammation, and the microbiota.
  
  
• Irish scientists found a “psychobiotic diet” rich in high-fiber foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts) and fermented foods can reduce stress and improve mood in healthy adults in just four weeks.

Ask your registered dietitian for supervision for dietary nuances if you suffer from an intestinal obstruction, have a planned surgery, or experience a flare.

Celiac Disease and IBD

May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month and in honor of this, we’d like to touch on the important overlap between celiac and IBD.

💡 Did you know:

• Patients diagnosed with celiac have a ~10-fold increased risk of IBD.
  
  
• Patients with IBD are at a ~4-fold increased risk of developing celiac disease.
  
  
• A diagnosis of celiac disease carries an increased risk of cancer and malnutrition, so it is important to rule out celiac disease in patients with IBD.

The relationship between celiac disease and IBD is not yet fully understood, and they share many of the same symptoms.  So, when occurring together, one of the diseases may go undiagnosed. 

What this means for patients and clinicians: 

• If you (or a family member) have been diagnosed with celiac disease but are still experiencing symptoms on a strict, gluten-free diet, you might consider talking to your doctor about IBD.
  
  
• Similarly, those with IBD might talk to their healthcare team about their risk for celiac disease and whether or not they should be tested.

As always, please consult your clinician before making any dietary changes. 

New IBD-Friendly Summer Recipes

With the start of summer, you’ll be looking forward to some fresh, easy recipes.

 Here are a few of our favorites — perfect for Memorial Day celebrations if you’re in the States ! 

Helpful Apps When Following Therapeutic Diets

We’ve added a new category to our patient resources section: apps for tracking IBD symptoms and diet. Here are three for you to consider: 

The IBD Diet Checklist, by Amy Rice.

The FODMAP Diet app, by researchers at Monash University.

 LivingWith™ Ulcerative Colitis, by Pfizer 

We Welcome Pfizer as an Advocate Level Partner

Our work wouldn’t be possible without the people and organizations who partner with us.

We’ve recently joined forces with Pfizer, and have already worked together on the nutrition section of their app, LivingWith™ Ulcerative Colitis.

We are very excited about Pfizer’s interest in supporting evidence-based nutrition alongside medications to help patients manage IBD, and optimize their health. 

To Our Readers

Thank you, and see you next month!

- The Nutritional Therapy for IBD Team

P.S. Know someone with IBD looking for information on evidence-based nutritional therapy? Forward them this mail! 

At Nutritional Therapy for IBD, we are grateful for the collaboration and support of our Corporate Partners. Through their partnership, we can work together to improve the lives and outcomes of patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. 

*Please note that Nutritional Therapy for IBD does not provide medical advice. The content provided here is for informational purposes only. Patients should always talk with their healthcare providers before changing their diet.*