Diet counseling modifies nutrient intake of patients with Crohn's disease

The nutrient intake of 137 outpatients with Crohn's disease was recorded, and the effect of diet counseling was assessed. Half the patients received monthly diet counseling that was individualized and aimed at normalizing nutrient intake; the other half of the patients received no diet counseling and served as controls. Over the 6-month study period, the mean nutrient intakes met or exceeded the 1980 U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for all nutrients except folate in the men and iron and folate in the women. However, at study entry, for each nutrient there was a substantial proportion of patients whose intake did not meet the full RDA. Less than 50% of the men consumed the full RDA for energy and folate, and less than 50% of the women consumed the full RDA for energy, folate, calcium, iron, thiamin, and vitamin B-12. Monthly diet counseling sessions were associated with increases in the mean intake of most nutrients, whereas similar improvement was not observed in the control group members, who did not receive counseling. By 6 months, significantly more counseled than non-counseled patients were consuming the full RDA for protein, riboflavin, and vitamin C (p less than .05). Thus, diet counseling was found to be an important tool for improving the nutrient intake of outpatients with Crohn's disease.