Nutritional adequacy in surgical IBD patients.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Nutritional Science
• Clinical Nutrition

Background:

• Dietary intake assessment is vital for optimizing nutritional status in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients.
• Limited evidence exists regarding the specific nutritional challenges faced by IBD patients scheduled for surgery.
• Comparing IBD patients' dietary intake to established reference values and clinical guidelines is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the dietary intake of IBD patients undergoing surgery with Italian Dietary Reference Values (DRVs) and ESPEN guidelines.
• To describe dietary patterns in Crohn's disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC) patients.
• To evaluate if IBD patients exhibit similar nutritional intakes to oncologic patients.

Main Methods:

• 62 IBD patients (46 CD, 16 UC) aged 18-79 scheduled for surgery were recruited between January 2019 and March 2020.
• Comprehensive nutritional assessments were performed, including dietary history, anthropometry, and body composition.
• A control group of 61 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients undergoing surgery was included for comparison.

Main Results:

• IBD patients had higher caloric intake but also higher underweight frequency compared to CRC patients.
• IBD patients exhibited inadequate intake of proteins, n-3 PUFA, fiber, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, vitamin D, and vitamin B12.
• Oral intake was not affected by gender, IBD subtype, disease duration, or prior surgery, but fistulizing behavior in CD negatively impacted intake.

Conclusions:

• Pre-surgical evaluation of macronutrient and micronutrient intake in IBD patients is critical for identifying and correcting nutritional deficiencies.
• Specific dietary recommendations are needed to address identified nutritional inadequacies.
• IBD patients undergoing surgery represent a high nutritional risk group, similar to oncologic patients.