Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes chronic diarrhea. incontinence and loose and bloody stools. The exact cause of ulcerative colitis is unknown, asserts the United States government's Digestive Diseases Information Clearing House, but advocates of the paleo or Paleolithic Diet blame our modern, Neolithic era eating habits.
The Premise
Loren Cordain, author of "The Paleo Diet," characterizes the chronic illnesses of the the Western world as "diseases of civilization." Cordain believes that the human body is genetically programmed to eat like our Paleolithic ancestors, and that once we stray from a basic, hunter/gatherer diet, we become susceptible to all sorts of illnesses. In order to remain healthy, we need to restrict our food intake to foods that could be hunted, gathered or fished during the Paleolithic era, says Cordain. These include fish, meat, eggs, nuts, fruits and vegetables.
Restricted Foods
The diet restricts foods such as grains, beans, dairy products, salt, sugar, potatoes or any type of food that agricultural development helped create. Grains, dairy products and beans have a high lectin content. Lectins contain toxic compounds designed to ward off insect attacks. Paleo diet supporters believe that lectins may also attack the human body. Lectins, says Cordain, have a carbohydrate and a protein component. The protein component resembles proteins in the human body. Your immune system attacks lectins when they escape your bowels. After the attack, it memorizes the lectin structure in the same way that a police officer memorizes the face of a frequent perpetrator.
Lectins and Colitis
Paleo diet proponents believe that lectin's similarity to your body's natural proteins make people susceptible to ulcerative colitis and other inflammatory bowel diseases. Your immune system is intelligent, but it in people with ulcerative colitis, it is not smart enough to distinguish between your body's own proteins and the lectin. It, therefore, attacks your body's cells in the same way it attacked the lectin. An autoimmune response ensues, causing leaky gut and other common symptoms of ulcerative colitis.
Criticism
Despite the logic behind the theories of the Paleo Diet, both the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation and the Mayo Clinic assert there is no link between specific foods and susceptibility to ulcerative colitis. Respected nutritionists also take issue with the Paleo Diet, reports the "Chicago Tribune." Keith Ayoob, a pediatric nutritionist at New York's Albert Einstein College of Medicine, argues against the Paleo Diet's restrictions on grains. Grains have folic acid, which reduces your risk of neural tube defects. Folic acid is also a B vitamin that prevents anemia. Sulfasalazine, a common ulcerative colitis drug, impairs folic acid absorption, reports the University of Purdue. Since ulcerative colitis involves frequent blood loss, restricting folic acid rich foods is inadvisable.
References
- "The Paleo Diet"; Loren Cordain; December; 2010
- "Chicago Tribune"; Caveman Diet Draws Grunts from Nutritionists; Anne Stein; April 2011
- Crohns and Colitis Foundation: Diet and Nutrition
- Mayo Clinic: Ulcerative Colitis Lifestyle and Home Remedies
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearing House: Ulcerative Colitis
- Purdue University: Sulfasalazine
