IBD sufferers may be consuming similar foods

A study published in PLOS One suggests that foods such as french fries, cheese, cookies, soda, and sports and energy drinks may be commonly found in the diets of U.S. adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The researchers analyzed the National Health Interview Survey 2015 to determine the food intake and frequency of consumption for U.S. adults with inflammatory bowel disease. The survey assessed 26 foods.

The study found fries were consumed by a greater number of people with IBD, and they also ate more cheese and cookies and drank less 100% fruit juice compared with people who did not have IBD. Consuming milk or popcorn was less likely to be associated with receiving this diagnosis.

“While foods typically labeled as junk food were positively associated with inflammatory bowel disease, we found the eating patterns of people with and without this disease to be very similar,” said senior author Moon Han, former PhD student in Georgia State University’s Institute for Biomedical Sciences, in a press release. “However, it’s unclear whether the survey results reflect a potential change in the food intake of people with inflammatory bowel disease long before the survey was conducted.”

To fully understand the role of food intake in inflammatory bowel disease risk and prevalence, it’s important to explore environmental factors (i.e., food deserts), food processing (such as frying), and potential bioactive food components that can induce intestinal inflammation and increase susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease, the researchers concluded.