Restriction of dairy products; a reality in inflammatory bowel disease patients

Calcium deficiency is considered a risk factor for the development of osteoporosis in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Various dietary restrictions, including milk products are reported by these patients.

To evaluate dairy product and dietary calcium intake by IBD patients.

This cross-sectional study enrolled 65 outpatients with IBD recruited from one reference center for IBD. A semi-structured questionnaire (to collect demographic, socioeconomic and clinical data) and a quantitative food frequency questionnaire were administered. With regard to clinical data, we evaluated the anthropometric nutritional status, the disease classification, the disease activity index and the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms. Self-reported modifications in the use of dairy products were evaluated.

The IBD patients' ages ranged from 20-75 years and 67.0% were diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. The majority (64.7%) reported restricting dairy products. The frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms was higher among the Crohn's disease patients who restricted dairy products than among those with no restrictions (100% vs 42.9%; p = 0.013); this result was not observed among the UC (ulcerative colitis) patients. Disease activity was also more frequent in the IBD patients who restricted dairy products than in those with no restrictions (23.8% vs 4.5%; p = 0.031), and among the UC patients, extensive disease was more common in the patients who restricted dairy products than in those with no restrictions (42.9% vs 20.0%; p = 0.03).

Restricting dairy products is common among IBD patients, possibly due to disease activity, the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms and the extension of the disease.