Diverticulosis and diverticulitis are related conditions that may be linked to the foods you eat. Diverticulosis occurs first, and of itself usually causes no symptoms. If you're between 40 and 60 years of age, there's about a 10 percent chance that you have diverticulosis. After age 60, that likelihood rises to about 50 percent. Between 10 and 25 percent of those with diverticulosis will go on to have the more serious condition, diverticulitis.
Diverticula
Diverticula are small pouches that bulge outward through weak spots in the lining of your large intestine. If you have diverticula, you have diverticulosis, though it may not manifest symptomatically. A small percentage of those with diverticulosis experience cramping, pain, constipation and bloating.
Concerns over whether certain foods can aggravate diverticulitis arise from the belief that food can become stuck in these pouches and cause irritation. These fears, however, are not backed up by scientific research.
Diverticulitis
Diverticulitis occurs when diverticula become inflamed. If you have diverticulitis, you may experience pain in your lower left abdomen that is either severe and sudden, or mild and gradually worsening. Diverticulitis can become very serious if not treated. You can develop abscesses, tears and blockages in your colon that require catheterization to drain.
Diet
The cause of diverticulitis is not completely understood, but according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, it is believed that it arises from a lack of dietary fiber. So in that sense, it's the foods you don't eat that cause diverticulosis and subsequent diverticulitis. The disease first surfaced in the U.S. in the early 1900s, the same era when processed, low-fiber foods became a prevalent source of sustenance in this country.
Considerations
Some physicians believe that nuts, popcorn and caraway and sesame seeds can become trapped in diverticula and lead to irritation. Those who subscribe to this school of thought recommend avoiding these foods, but Drugs.com notes that this is unnecessary, as no scientific evidence supports the belief that this actually occurs. Your doctor can recommend a higher-fiber diet that will help with diverticulitis. If the thought of a high-fiber diet is unappealing, keep in mind that eating high-fiber foods, such as blackberries, prunes and artichokes, is far less painful than suffering through the pain of diverticulitis.
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