Impact of Diet on Inflammatory Bowel Disease Symptoms: An Adolescent Viewpoint

Megan T Zangara; Natalie Bhesania; Wei Liu; Gail A M Cresci; Jacob A Kurowski; Christine McDonald

doi:10.1093/crocol/otaa084

Impact of Diet on Inflammatory Bowel Disease Symptoms: An Adolescent Viewpoint

Crohns Colitis 360. 2020 Nov 12;2(4):otaa084. doi: 10.1093/crocol/otaa084. eCollection 2020 Oct.

Authors

Megan T Zangara^{1

2}, Natalie Bhesania³, Wei Liu⁴, Gail A M Cresci^{2

5

6}, Jacob A Kurowski⁶, Christine McDonald^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
² Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
³ Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA.
⁴ Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
⁵ Department of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
⁶ Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

Abstract

Background: Dietary modification shows promise as therapy in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, it is unknown whether adolescents are interested in a dietary approach.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey of adolescents with IBD ages 14-21 on disease knowledge, dietary habits, and perceptions of diet therapy.

Results: A total of 132 subjects (48.5% female), mean age of 17.8 years and median disease length of 5 years (range 0, 16), completed the survey. Diet was perceived as a symptom trigger by 59.8% of subjects, and 45.4% had tried using diet as a treatment for symptom resolution, often without physician supervision and with limited success. Subjects experiencing active disease symptoms as determined by Manitoba IBD Index were more likely to be currently modifying their diet compared to subjects without active disease symptoms (odds ratio = 4.11, confidence interval = 1.58, 10.73, P = 0.003).

Conclusions: Adolescents with IBD perceive a relationship between diet and disease symptoms and are interested in dietary modification as a symptom management option.

Keywords: adolescents; diet; inflammatory bowel disease; survey.