Crohn's disease
From The Nutritional Health Bible by Linda Lazarides (1997). This free database is provided for interest only. Linda's later writings refer to more up-to-date research.
Some causative factors- dysbiosis leading to increased gut permeability
- Food allergy
- High sugar consumption.
When the nutritional habits of 63 patients with Crohn's disease were compared with normals, sugar consumption in the Crohn's group prior to the onset of the disease was significantly higher. Martini GA et al: Increased consumption of refined carbohydrates in patients with Crohn's disease. Klin Wochenschr 54(8):367-71, 1976.
After comparing the diets of 30 newly-diagnosed patients with Crohn's disease with a control group, the researchers concluded that a diet high in refined sugar and low in raw fruit and vegetables precedes and may favour the development of Crohn's disease. Thornton JR et al: Diet and Crohn's disease: characteristics of the pre-illness diet. Br Med J 2(6193):762-4, 1979.
Promising nutritional researchIn a randomized controlled trial, 20 patients with Crohn's disease were given either a diet excluding refined sugar, or a sugar-rich diet. In the worst cases, the sugar-free diet reduced the activity of the disease whereas the sugar-rich diet caused exacerbation. Brandes JW et al: Sugar-free diet: a new perspective in the treatment of Crohn's disease? Randomised, controlled study. (German). Z Gastroentereol 19(1):1-12, 1981.
32 patients with Crohn's disease who had followed an unrefined diet in addition to medication for 4 years, were found to have spent only a total of 111 days in hospital during this period, compared with 533 days in a control group treated with medication alone. 1 patient in the diet group required surgery, compared with 5 in the medication-only group. Heaton KW et al: Treatment of Crohn's disease with an unrefined-carbohydrate, fibre-rich diet. Br Med J 2(6193):764-6, 1979.
78 Crohn's disease patients currently in remission were given either 9 fish oil capsules (with a protective coating to prevent dispersal in the stomach) per day or placebo. In the fish oil group 28% suffered relapses occurred during the following year, compared with 69% from the control group. After one year 59% of the fish oil group remained in remission, compared with 26% from the control group. Belluzzi A et al: Effect of an enteric-coated fish-oil preparation on relapses in Crohn's disease. N Engl J Med 334(24):1557-60, 1996.
The ability of dietary modification to maintain remission from Crohn's disease was compared with corticosteroid treatment. 136 patients were withdrawn from all treatments except for an elemental diet. 84 per cent achieved remission from the disease and were then randomized to receive a diet free of foods which caused a return of symptoms, or corticosteroid treatment. The corticosteroid group remained in remission for an average of 3.8 months, and the diet group 7.5 months. The relapse rates at two years were 79 per cent for the corticosteroid group and 62 per cent for the diet group. Patients were mostly sensitive to cereals, dairy products and yeast. Riordan AM et al: Treatment of active Crohn's disease by exclusion diet: East Anglian multicentre controlled trial. Lancet 342(8880):1131-4, 1993.