What makes inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) so difficult is that there is often not one thing that causes it. It could be anything from an allergy to changing the type of bacteria that is in your digestive tract.
One of our goals should be to make decisions that will help decrease the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease. A suggestion by scientists and patients to decrease the risk or symptoms of IBD has been to increase daily fiber intake.
A recent study by scientists published in the scientific journal Nutrition Research evaluated studies in a process known as a ‘meta-analysis’. In this review scientists screened 1,407 scientific articles. A total of 77 full text articles were reviewed and 8 human studies for the final analysis. The scientists used the data from these 8 clinical studies to determine if there is evidence that fiber decreases the risk of IBD.
Here are the results of what they found:
- Higher fiber intake was associated with lower risk of Crohn’s disease
- Higher fiber intake was marginally associated with lower risk ulcerative colitis
- A 13% risk reduction was observed for every 10 grams/day of fiber and Crohn’s disease.
Unfortunately, many people fall well short of recommendations put forward by many groups. For example, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) recommends 14 grams of fiber is needed for 1,000 calories consumed. This means a 2,000 calorie diet should contain 28 grams of fiber per day. The National Fiber Council recommends an average of 32 grams of fiber per day.
Take away message: Most Americans do not consume 10 to 15 grams of fiber per day, yet the recommendations range from 25 to 38 grams of fiber per day. Fiber comes in two forms called soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber will add bulk to a stool while insoluble fiber can help intestinal health. A possible benefit of fiber could be to lower the risk of Crohn’s disease and possibly ulcerative colitis. Make sure to read the labels of the foods you are eating, consume fruits and vegetables high in fiber, and supplement with a high quality soluble fiber.
Nutrition Research. 2015 September; Volume 35 (Issue 9):Pages 753-8.
His research on plant medicine has led to more than 45 publications and abstracts.This research has been presented at international meetings in the USA, France, Turkey, Peru, Israel, Austria, and Italy.
Categories: Digestion, Food, Inflammation
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