Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease of the colon that typically involves your rectum. Patients with this disease commonly present with rectal bleeding, rectal pain with urgency and diarrhea. The treatment for ulcerative colitis aims to alleviate the symptoms. Since diet is a common factor that triggers these symptoms, doctors will sometimes recommend changing your diet to a low-residue elemental diet. Ulcerative colitis is a serious condition and only switch to an elemental diet under medical supervision.
Ulcerative Colitis
Ulcerative colitis is an idiopathic disorder characterized by inflammation of the colon and rectum, according to "Clinical Biochemistry." Typically, this disorder will only effect one of the three walls of your intestine, the mucosa. Death of colon tissue or sepsis may occur in serious cases of ulcerative colitis. Mainstays of therapy to treat this disorder include 5-aminosalicylic acid derivatives, corticosteroids, immunosuppressive and biologic therapies. Additionally, many doctors will recommend that patients with ulcerative colitis switch to an elemental diet.
Elemental Diets
The term elemental diet refers to a diet consisting of foods that contains elemental protein sources in the form of amino acids and other easily digestible nutrients, minerals and vitamins. Additionally, elemental diets only allow you to consume small amounts of fat. By design, an elemental diet will also provide you with essential and non-essential nitrogen, mineral salts and vitamins.
Food and Ulcerative Colitis
There is not a clear association between a specific diet and improvement of ulcerative colitis. A review by Rhodes and Rose from the University Hospital of Wales published in the May 1986 journal "Gut" concluded that an elemental diet did not significantly effect ulcerative colitis patients' need for surgery compared to patients that consumed a regular oral diet. Further, according to the UCSF Medical Center, a specific diet can not prevents or treats inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis.
Diet Recommendations for Ulcerative Colitis
On the other hand, according to "Self Help Way to Treat Colitis and Other IBS Conditions," diets for individuals suffering from ulcerative colitis should yield a low residue of bowels to avoid abdominal pain and diarrhea. Avoid foods that may increase your stool output. Also, avoid sweet foods that increase the amount of water in your intestines.
References
- "Clinical Biochemistry"; Nessar Ahmed; 2011
- "What to Eat with IBD: A Comprehensive Nutrition and Recipe Guide for Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis"; Tracie M Dalessandro MS RD CDN; 2006
- "Self Help Way To Treat Colitis and Other IBS Conditions"; DeLamar Gibbons; 2001
- "Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet"; Elaine Gloria Gottschall; 1994
- NCBI: Does Food Affect Acute Inflammatory Bowel Disease? The Role of Parenteral Nutrition, Elemental and Exclusion Diets; J Rhodes and J Rose; May 1986
- UCSF Medical center: Nutrition Tips for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
