Helping patients
Although the certainty of evidence remains very low or low for most dietary trials in IBD, the emerging data suggest that nutrition plays an important role in IBD management and should be considered in the overall treatment plan for patients, the study authors wrote.
Dr. James D. Lewis
“Patients continue to look for ways to control their IBD, particularly with diet. Providers continue to struggle with making evidence-based recommendations about dietary interventions for IBD. This systematic review is a useful tool for providers to advise their patients,” James D. Lewis, MD, associate director of the inflammatory bowel diseases program at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, said in an interview.
Dr. Lewis, who wasn’t involved with this study, has researched dietary interventions for IBD. He and his colleagues have found that reducing red meat does not lower the rate of Crohn’s disease flares and that the Mediterranean diet and Specific Carbohydrate Diet appear to be similar for inducing clinical remission.
Based on this review, partial enteral nutrition could be an option for patients with Crohn’s disease, Dr. Lewis said.
“Partial enteral nutrition is much easier than exclusive enteral nutrition for patients,” he said. “However, there remains uncertainty as to whether the solid food component of a partial enteral nutrition approach impacts outcomes.”
As more dietary studies become available, the certainty of evidence could improve and lead to better recommendations for patients, Dr. Limketkai and colleagues wrote. They are conducting several studies focused on the concept of precision nutrition.
“While certain diets may be helpful and effective for IBD, different diets work differently in different people. This concept is no different than the fact that different IBD medications work differently in different individuals,” Dr. Limketkai said. “However, given the current state of evidence for dietary interventions in IBD, we still have a long path of research ahead of us.”
The study received no funding. The study authors reported no conflicts of interest. Dr. Lewis reported no relevant disclosures.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.