The Effects of Diet on Ulcerative Colitis

There is fairly high confidence that there is little connection between poor diet and Ulcerative Colitis/Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This should not be confused with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) - caused almost entirely by a poor diet high in processed foods and low in dietary fibre.

In spite of this diet has a large part to play in minimizing the effects of Ulcerative Colitis - and in the treatment of flare-ups. Care must be taken though with Colitis - as a good diet for a person with colitis differs slightly from that of a person without colitis.

Fibre - and Ulcerative Colitis

 

There is much confusion in the advice given to people about dietary fibre and ulcerative colitis. To understand this properly it is important to appreciate there are two distinct types of fibre. One - soluble fibre should be encouraged when suffering from colitis - the other - insoluble fibre tends to inflame colitis and should be avoided.

 

Insoluble Fibre - Detrimental for Colitis

 

Insoluble fibre is generally bad for ulcerative colitis/IBD sufferers. This is the type of fibre that most people would associate with a high fibre diet. Examples of this type of fibre include:

• Wheat bran/wholemeal bread/bran flakes etc.
• Cabbage
• Broccoli
• Sweet corn
• Skins peel of vegetables such as apples and grapes

This type of fibre passes through the whole of the digestive tract without being digested - and hence has a tenancy to adhere to the wall of the colon when it is inflamed. This irritates the colon - and hence will aggravate any colitis. As a rough guide if you can see particles/undigested matter in the stool this is insoluble fibre.

 

Soluble Fibre - Beneficial for Colitis 

 

Soluble fibre is very helpful for colitis and differs from insoluble fibre in that it is broken down/digested in the large intestine/colon. This produces a soft stool and good motions - but does not produce the type of particles that adhere to the bowel wall and cause inflammation. Good examples of soluble fibre include:

• The body of fruits - e.g. peeled apples, peeled pears
• Peeled Vegetables - e.g. peeled potatoes and carrots
• Oat bran - e.g. porridge/Ready Brek
• White rice

http://www.ulcerativecolitis.org.uk/dietarychanges.htm