Diet, Nutrition and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: Understanding the Connection- A General Pediatrician perspective

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic relapsingremitting immune disorder of unknown etiology. The major phenotypes of IBD are Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). IBD was initially recognized as a major health complication in developed countries but now it is becoming recognized in developing ones. The rise in the incidence and the prevalence of IBD has paralleled the social and economic development of populations and adaptation to a Western lifestyle that includes diet changes, especially among child and infant age groups. The rise in IBD around the world may be best explained by changes in the world’s diet and nutrition which is an important parts of IBD management [7]. Understanding the importance of diet and nutrition in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is vital to improve the quality of life for these patients [8]. The dietary strategies are helpful in controlling IBD symptoms and the role of diet in controlling IBD seems to make sense and a reason to consider a dietary contributor to intestinal disease, since the inflamed gut feels worse when food passes through it. No evidence that diet can cause or cure inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). But surely contribute to treatment approach [9-13].