Influence of Dietary Quality on Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury

Neurogenic bowel dysfunction (NBD) occurs in up to 95% of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and negatively impacts the quality of life. Although diet is an important component in the management of NBD, the relationship between diet quality and NBD is understudied in the SCI population.

To assess the diet quality of individuals with chronic SCI and explore possible relationships between diet quality, especially fiber, and symptoms of NBD, and to evaluate whether individuals with SCI themselves recognize relationships between dietary intake and NBD symptoms.

Individuals with chronic SCI, recruited via their rehabilitation center, completed web-based questionnaires and 24-hour dietary recalls regarding the quality and intake of their diet and the severity of NBD. Ten individuals participated in interviews to explore their views on potential relationships between their diet and NBD.

Twenty-eight participants were recruited, of which ten were interviewed. All participants had symptoms of NBD of varying degrees and a low diet quality, but there was no difference between the NBD groups. The more severe NBD group had a lower intake of vegetables and a higher intake of salt. Almost half of the participants interviewed did not report experiencing an association between dietary intake and their NBD.

A low diet quality was observed among individuals with chronic SCI, irrespective of their NBD symptoms. Many participants were unaware of a potential relationship between their diet and NBD. The sample size is insufficient to draw definitive conclusions; however, a potential hypothesis is that those with more severe NBD may consume not enough vegetables and too much salt. Further longitudinal prospective research is required to enhance nutritional guidelines for individuals with SCI and NBD.