[Use of dietary phenols to modulate inflammatory bowel response]

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are two forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Genetic and environmental factors influencing the onset and course of this disease have recently been identified. Among the environmental and dietary factors involved in the development of inflammatory colon diseases, dietary polyphenols have been proposed as protective agents in distinct models of colon inflammation. However, despite the huge number of studies on the beneficial effects of polyphenols on health, their dietary effectiveness is unclear. In this review, we examine some of the evidence linking dietary polyphenol intake with protection against IBD.