Food compounds associated with disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease 

1. This retrospective cohort study identified several dietary compounds, specifically fatty acids, that are associated with remission in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). 

Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good) 

Chronic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have long been known to be impacted by diet. While general advice on less processed food has been suggested, specific diet recommendations have yet to be explored. Diets vary greatly across the globe; however, examining the compounds found in food offers overarching insight into the effects of foods on IBD. To assess if specific food compounds or combinations directly affect IBD behaviour, a multivariate model linking disease activity with ingested food compounds was employed. Patient data was a 135-person cohort from a study at the University Medical Center Utrecht with Crohn’s Disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC). Among these patients, 41 experienced a flare-up in the following 29 months. The 768 compounds analyzed, including polyphenols (35%), fatty acids (11%), terpenes (8%), elements, and amino acids, were consumed by 80% of the population, and were examined for patterns and outliers. Results were analyzed by 12 random forest models, with the model analyzing 75 compounds showing the best performance, achieving negative prediction values of remission up to 79%. Among these, 35 compounds had the highest contribution to the model, of which 25 (71%) were fatty acids. Other compounds that were associated with remission include 4-hydroxyproline, ethanol, vanillin, heptadecanoyl carnitine, and haem iron. Some compounds found with higher intake in the flare group include molybdenum, kaempferol-3-glucoside, cellobiose and trans-11-docosenoic acid. The study found that some compounds originated from multiple sources, necessitating more in-depth examination than a general diet. While some compounds may appear to contribute to disease flare-ups, these associations may be coincidental or influenced by confounding factors, underscoring the need for further research to determine their biological significance.

Click to read the study in JCC

Image: PD

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