Dietary factors in the modulation of inflammatory bowel disease activity

As patients look to complementary therapies for management of their diseases, it is important that the physician know the effectiveness and/or lack of effectiveness of a variety of dietary approaches/interventions. Although the pathogenesis of the inflammatory bowel diseases (ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease) is not fully understood, many suspect that diet and various dietary factors may play a modulating role in the disease process.

The purpose of this article is to present some of what is known about various dietary/nutritional factors in inflammatory bowel disease, with inclusion of evidence from various studies regarding their putative effect. MedLINE was searched (1965-present) using combinations of the following search terms: diet, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis. Additionally, references of the articles obtained were searched to identify further potential sources of information.

While much information is available regarding various dietary interventions/supplements in regard to inflammatory bowel disease, the lack of controlled trials limits broad applicability. Probiotics are one of the few interventions with promising results and controlled trials.

While there are many potential and promising dietary factors that may play a role in the modulation of inflammatory bowel disease, it is prudent to await further controlled studies before broad application/physician recommendation in the noted patient population.