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A Prospective Study on the Association of Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Physical Activity with Inflammatory Bowel
Ying Lin1, Jing Li2, Qian Shi1
1Department of Nutrition, Tianjin Children's Hospital, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
Insights
Mediterranean diet adherence positively impacts symptom-free duration in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). High physical activity further benefits children with average diet adherence, enhancing their quality of life.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Nutritional Science
- Chronic Disease Management
Background:
- Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) presents significant challenges in managing chronic conditions.
- Lifestyle factors like diet and physical activity are increasingly recognized for their role in IBD management.
- Optimizing clinical recommendations for pediatric IBD requires robust evidence on modifiable lifestyle factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of Mediterranean diet (MD) and physical activity (PA) on clinical outcomes in pediatric IBD.
- To provide evidence for improved clinical recommendations for managing pediatric IBD.
- To assess the association between MD adherence, PA, and symptom-free duration in children with IBD.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study involving 88 children (aged 8-18) with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) in Tianjin, China.
- Parents were advised to implement MD and document children's PA, MD adherence, and symptoms weekly.
- Statistical analysis included univariate linear regression and adjusted analyses for various confounding factors.
Main Results:
- Good adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) was independently associated with a longer duration of annual abdominal symptom-free periods.
- Physical activity (PA) alone did not show an independent association with symptom-free duration after adjustments.
- Children with average MD adherence and high PA experienced longer symptom-free durations compared to those with low PA.
Conclusions:
- Mediterranean diet adherence is a significant independent factor in improving symptom-free duration for pediatric IBD patients.
- For children with average MD adherence, higher levels of physical activity contribute to longer periods without abdominal symptoms.
- These findings support the integration of dietary and physical activity recommendations into pediatric IBD care.
Purpose:
This prospective cohort study aims to investigate the potential effects of Mediterranean diet (MD) and physical activity (PA) on the clinical outcomes of pediatric IBD, with the objective of contributing evidence for optimize clinical recommendations.
Patients And Methods:
This study included 88 children aged 8-18 years with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) in Tianjin, China. We advised the participants' parents to implement the MD for their children. We instructed the parents to document their children's PA (in the absence of abdominal symptoms), adherence to MD, and abdominal symptoms on a weekly basis.
Results:
Among the 88 children, 66 showed average adherence to the MD, while 22 exhibited good adherence based on established threshold values recorded in the literature. 41 children classified as having low PA and 47 as having high PA. Univariate linear regression analysis indicated that both MD adherence and PA were linked to longer duration of annual abdominal symptoms-free. After adjusting for factors such as age, sex, disease location, disease duration, medication use, and baseline disease activity, good MD adherence remained positively associated with the longer symptom-free duration, while PA did not. In the average MD adherence group, the subgroup with high PA levels experienced a significantly longer annual duration without abdominal symptoms compared to the low PA subgroup. Within the low PA group, those with good MD adherence had a significantly longer symptom-free duration than those with average MD adherence.
Conclusion:
MD adherence was independently positive associated with the duration of annual abdominal symptom-free. For children with average MD adherence, high PA level experienced a longer duration of annual abdominal symptom-free.
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