Diet to Prevent Inflammatory Conditions
The purpose of this site is to provide background information about topics which patients can then discuss with their physician. No changes in treatment should be made until after a discussion has been conducted between the patient and their doctor.
Please note: The information on these pages should not be interpreted as medical advice nor should it replace the advice of a qualified health care provider.
The question of whether a diet can decrease your risk of inflammatory conditions is an interesting one.
A prospective study of 170,776 women followed for over 26 years used a food frequency questionnaire administered every 4 years to look at the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis). Overall, the adjusted risk of Crohn’s disease was decreased 41% in the 20% of subjects with the highest total fiber intake (this did not quite reach statistical significance [P=0.08]). When the data was further broken down by specific dietary sources however, the data for fruits was statistically significant (P=0.02) and showed a 43% reduction. The results for other sources of fiber was negative as were the results for ulcerative colitis. A separate study of the same population looked at high school diet and the risk of later developing Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis. It found that a prudent pattern of food intake (more fruits, vegetables, and fish) was associated with a statistically significant 53% lower risk of Crohn’s (P=0.04) but not ulcerative colitis. In addition fish intake was associated with a significant 57% decrease in Crohn’s incidence.
Here is a video about a study that looked at 10 different spices to see which were most anti-inflammatory. In this study, the researchers looked at the effect in people after absorption of the spices and also used amounts usually consumed by people. Also one of the outcomes (TNF) has major implications since the newest class of highly potent drugs used to treat patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn’s & ulcerative colitis) work by inhibiting TNF. People who want to minimise their risk of inflammatory diseases might benefit from diets rich in these spices (however this has yet to be proven by clinical trials). The spices which had a statistically significant effect on lowering TNF levels were cloves, ginger, turmeric and rosemary. Interestingly another video (more info here) looking at the ability of spices to protect against DNA damage had somewhat similar findings.
One book on this topic is Meals that Heal Inflammation by Julie Daniluk. There is also a website which has a database of scores for how much different foods would increase or decrease inflammation. However clinical trials have not proven that these diets can prevent inflammatory conditions.
Recently I have come across multiple sources warning about a very common food additive called carrageenan (a seaweed extract) used as a thickener in many organic and processed foods (video). It appears that all forms of this additive may cause inflammation. When researchers want to do research on inflammation, they use carrageenan to cause inflammation in their reseach animals so they can do their studies. Dr Stephen Hanauer, an IBD researcher at the University of Chicago is currently doing a clinical study to see if this drug might affect patients with IBD. While the FDA is currently allowing this additive to be used, patient with inflammatory conditions may want to consider avoiding it. A middle of the road approach would be for patients with Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis to avoid carrageenan for 8 weeks to see if it helps them. Fortunately there are now ways to make it simpler for consumers to avoid carrageenan in the products that they buy. In November 2016, carrageenan was also voted out of organic food by the National Organic Standards Board in the USA so American organic products should be safe soon.
References
- Meals that heal Inflammation. Julie Daniluk Random House 2011.
- Carrageenan: New Studies Reinforce Link to Inflammation, Cancer, and Diabetes. Cornupia Institute 2016.
- Is Carrageenan Safe ? Andrew Weil MD Q & A Library (published 10/1/2012)
- Review of the Harmful Gastrointestinal Effects of Carrageenan in Animal Experiments. JK Tobacman. Environ Health Perspect 2001:109:983-994.
