Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 14, 2024; 30(34): 3868-3874
Published online Sep 14, 2024. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i34.3868
Examining dietary interventions in Crohn’s disease
Lynna Chen, Ashish Srinivasan, Abhinav Vasudevan
Lynna Chen, Ashish Srinivasan, Abhinav Vasudevan, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Eastern Health, Box Hill 3128, Australia
Ashish Srinivasan, Abhinav Vasudevan, Eastern Clinical School, Monash University, Box Hill 3128, Australia
Author contributions: Chen L was involved in the original draft and conceptualisation of the article; Srinivasan A and Vasudevan A were involved with the conceptualisation, supervision and review and editing of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Abhinav Vasudevan, BMed, FRACP, Doctor, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Eastern Health, 8 Arnold St, Box Hill 3128, Australia. abhinav.vasudevan@monash.edu
Received: May 30, 2024
Revised: August 15, 2024
Accepted: August 22, 2024
Published online: September 14, 2024
Processing time: 103 Days and 8.7 Hours
Abstract

This editorial builds on the article by Shakhshir et al. We conducted an overview of evidence-based dietary interventions in adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In the IBD population, there may be a role for the Mediterranean diet due to its anti-inflammatory effects, long-term sustainability, and role in improving cardiovascular health. In active Crohn’s disease, the use of exclusive enteral nutrition, the Crohn’s disease exclusion diet, or the specific carbohydrate diet may be used as a short-term adjunct to medical therapy and may improve mucosal healing. The low-FODMAP diet can assist in reducing symptoms for patients without evidence of active bowel inflammation. As interest in nutritional therapy increases amongst clinicians and patients alike, it is integral that dietary therapies are understood and discussed in routine management of patients with IBD as part of holistic care, ideally through a multidisciplinary setting with involvement of experienced dietitians. This serves to improve clinician-patient engagement and reduce complications of IBD including micro and micronutrient deficiencies.

Keywords: Inflammatory bowel disease; Nutrition; Dietary therapies; Inflammation; Malnutrition

Core Tip: Dietary therapies can be used to reduce inflammation or improve symptoms in patients with Crohn’s disease. The Mediterranean diet has been associated with improved outcomes in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and potentially reducing its development. Exclusive enteral nutrition and Crohn’s disease exclusion diet can be used for the induction of remission in Crohn’s disease. Multidisciplinary management of patients with IBD should include dietary advice and the involvement of experienced dietitians.