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  • Review Article
  • Published:

Dietary management of IBD—insights and advice

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 12, pages 133–146 (2015)Cite this article

Subjects

Key Points

  • Assessment of eating habits and nutritional status with subsequent remedial actions might lead to improvement of well-being and symptoms in patients with IBD

  • Data on diet influencing IBD activity is poor, with the exception of exclusive enteral nutrition inducing remission in Crohn's disease; how food choice can mimic this result is not known

  • Diet might be helpful in reducing symptoms and lessening the effects of IBD complications

  • A skilled dietitian is needed to guide diet for therapeutic benefit whilst maintaining adequate nutrition

  • Studies evaluating diet in IBD development have methodological problems; generally, data support 'healthy diets' including a variety from all food groups, whole-food instead of refined-foods and plant-based instead of animal-derived foods

Abstract

The current general interest in the use of food choice or diet in maintaining good health and in preventing and treating disease also applies to patients with IBD, who often follow poor or nutritionally challenging dietary plans. Unfortunately, dietary advice plays only a minor part in published guidelines for management of IBD, which sends a message that diet is not of great importance. However, a considerable evidence base supports a focused and serious attention to nutrition and diet in patients with IBD. In this Review, a step-wise approach in the evaluation and management of these patients is proposed. First, dietary intake and eating habits as well as current nutritional state should be documented, and corrective measures instituted. Secondly, dietary strategies as primary or adjunctive therapy for the reduction of inflammation and/or prevention of relapse of IBD should be seriously contemplated. Thirdly, use of diet to improve symptoms or lessen the effects of complications should be considered. Finally, dietary advice regarding disease prevention should be discussed when relevant. An increasing need exists for applying improved methodologies into establishing the value of current and new ways of using food choice as a therapeutic and preventive tool in IBD.

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Figure 1: Steps in the dietary management of patients with IBD.
Figure 2: Some of the dietary factors hypothesized to be involved in the pathogenesis of IBD.

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  1. Department of Gastroenterology, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Level 6 The Alfred Centre, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, VIC, Australia

    Emma P. Halmos & Peter R. Gibson

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  1. Emma P. Halmos
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Both authors contributed equally to all aspects of this manuscript.

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Correspondence to Peter R. Gibson.

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P.R.G. has published books on food intolerances. E.P.H. declares no competing interests. The Department of Gastroenterology, Monash University, Australia, has published an aApp on the Monash University Low FODMAPs Diet, the proceeds of which partly go to the Department, but not to the individuals working there.

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Supplementary Table 1

Scorecard with interpretation of the overall findings associated with susceptibility to developing Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis in retrospective dietary intake studies (develop from data from Spooren et al.S1) (PDF 102 kb)

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Halmos, E., Gibson, P. Dietary management of IBD—insights and advice. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 12, 133–146 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2015.11

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