Ultra-processed foods can cause debilitating bowel disease flare-ups, a new study has found.
Poor diet has long been associated with the onset of Crohn’s disease but now researchers have identified specific high-risk food groups that can trigger severe relapse.
The study – presented at the United European Gastroenterology conference (UEG) in Vienna, Austria this week – revealed that ultra-processed items such as bread, pastries, starch, oils, and spreads increase the risk of disease recurrence by approximately threefold.
About half a million Britons suffer from Crohn’s disease, which causes agonizing pain, diarrhea, exhaustion, and extreme weight loss.
This chronic condition can lead to the narrowing of the bowels, complicating food passage through the digestive tract.
A new study presented at the United European Gastroenterology conference has found ultra-processed foods can cause debilitating bowel disease flare-ups (stock image)
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are foods which have large numbers of ingredients, not commonly found in home kitchens
Around a third of patients living with this condition, where the gut lining becomes inflamed, will require surgery.
The latest research suggests that diet may trigger severe symptoms to return, even when managed by medication.
The study followed over 100 people with Crohn’s disease for a year, marking when relapses occurred—flare-ups severe enough to necessitate changes in medication, hospitalization, or surgery.
More than double the number of participants with high intake of ultra-processed foods experienced relapses.
The authors noted that a ‘Western diet’ is linked to symptom recurrence. They emphasized the need for further research into the role of emulsifiers, which are prevalent in ultra-processed foods, may be the real culprit behind flare-ups.
Last year, a study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology Journal found that a diet high in ultra-processed foods increases the chance of developing Crohn’s disease by 70 percent.
This latest research is the first to demonstrate the impact on patients post-treatment. Experts are urging that the findings inform dietary recommendations for managing Crohn’s disease.
‘In addition to treating active inflammatory bowel disease, we want to maintain remission for the long term,’ says Dr. Chen Sarbagili Shabat, clinical dietician from Tel Aviv Medical Center, Israel.
‘It’s crucial to recognize environmental factors linked to the disease. Therefore, we can use diet to manage active disease as well as Crohn’s disease during remission.’