Dietary habits in Italian children with inflammatory bowel disease: A case-control multicenter study

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) tend to self-modify their dietary habits according to disease activity and symptoms. This study aimed to assess the adequacy of the usual diet in Italian children with IBD in comparison to a control group and to the recommended dietary allowances (RDA).

Dietary habits of IBD children and age- and gender-matched healthy controls were investigated using a validated Food Frequency Questionnaire in five Italian pediatric IBD centers. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) was assessed using the KID-MED test. Energy (EI), macro, and micronutrients intakes were compared between the two groups, to the RDA and the predicted total energy expenditure (EI/total energy expenditure [TEE]%).

IBD subjects (n = 110) reported a lower EI, EI/RDA%, and EI/TEE% compared to controls (n = 110) (p = 0.012, p < 0.0002, and p = 0.014), lower total protein and fat intakes (p = 0.017, p < 0.0001) and lower minerals/RDA, vitamins/RDA and micronutrients/RDA ratio (%). Poor adherence to the MD was more frequent in IBD children compared to controls (p = 0.013). The total EI and carbohydrate intake were inversely correlated with higher disease activity.

Italian children with IBD report an inadequate diet in terms of energy, macro, and micronutrients and have a low adherence to a high-quality MD pattern.