Does evidence exist to include dietary therapy in the treatment of Crohn's disease?

Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2010 Apr;4(2):191-215. doi: 10.1586/egh.10.11.

Abstract

Prescription drugs and surgery are two common medical therapies for Crohn's disease (CD), an inflammatory bowel disease that affects the GI tract. Unfortunately, certain drugs can cause serious side effects, and surgeries must often be repeated. No diet has been established to alleviate the pain and suffering of CD patients. This is curious given the fact that a higher prevalence of food sensitivities exist in this population of patients, and enteral nutrition is not only the first-line of therapy in Japan, but a known research method used to place the majority of CD patients into remission. Although not all patients respond equally to diet, many simply remove symptom-provoking foods, such as dairy, wheat, corn and certain fruits and vegetables. We suggest assisting these patients in their self-assessment of irritating and symptom-provoking foods by educating them in the use of a food-symptom diary followed by a customized elimination diet trialed for 2-4 weeks to determine if there is any benefit to the individual patient.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Crohn Disease / diet therapy*
  • Crohn Disease / immunology
  • Diet Therapy / trends*
  • Diet, Gluten-Free
  • Dietary Carbohydrates
  • Enteral Nutrition
  • Food Hypersensitivity / immunology
  • Humans

Substances

  • Dietary Carbohydrates