Can the Specific Carbohydrate Diet induce remission in IBD?
I’ve stated it many times before. Diet is an extremely sensitive issue for many people living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. For different reasons.
Some pine for the days when they were able to eat whatever they wanted without consequences. Others get upset because people slap them in the face with diet changes and suggest that they’re going about finding relief all wrong. Others have found that diet has failed to do anything at all. The topic of diet causes tempers to escalate quickly. Which is why I want to approach this topic with caution.
There is a big lack of scientific research in the area of diet as it relates to Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. However, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) is seeking to bridge that gap with a new study!
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has awarded the CCFA $2.5 million to study how diet can be used for managing Crohn’s Disease symptoms. This is a first in the area of a national study on how the Specific Carbohydrate Diet
“I’ve always been curious why many IBD patients can only achieve remission via medication, while some are able to manage their symptoms with dietary changes,” says Jessica Burris. Burris is a member of the patient governance committee of CCFA’s PPRN.
Some Manage Without Medications!
My mother has been one of these fortunate Crohn’s patients who has been able to manage symptoms with diet. She avoids fruits and nuts. I, on the other hand, living with UC, have tried diet, medications and finally lost my colon two years ago. “When it comes to diet,” Burris says, “patients are often told everybody is different.” She goes on to say that there isn’t much known as to what those differences are and, “how they can be applied to clinical practice.” She also believes that the knowledge from this study may hold a key in impacting the lives of Crohn’s patients.
As many patients will tell you, diet is a very complex and frustrating aspect of life with IBD. Diet restrictions vary patient-to-patient. Some of my friends find meat difficult to digest. Others have to avoid leafy greens. The frustrating part comes from stumbling around in the dark with the process of elimination, trial and error.
Dr. James Lewis, a professor and senior scholar in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania understands this.
Lewis says, “There is little scientific evidence to guide patients with Crohn’s on how they should modify their diet.” He also says that even doctors face uncertainty about the best diet for treating Crohn’s. I would add that the same can be said for those with ulcerative colitis or indeterminate colitis.
Despite the challenges, Dr. Lewis is confident that “this study will open the door to a more holistic treatment of Crohn’s,” and also “provide high quality data and guidance for incorporating diet modifications into” IBD treatments.
The CCFA will put together a community of IBD “citizen scientists” who will partner with investigators to develop and prioritize research ideas based on personal experiences living with IBD. These scientists and investigators will seek to compare the effectiveness of the SCD and Mediterranean-style diets in inducing symptomatic and clinical remission and reducing inflammation in patients with active Crohn’s Disease.
The SCD is a popular diet among Inflammatory Bowel Disease patients. There have been countless websites and books dedicated to this diet alone. I have friends who’ve found symptom relief by strictly following this one.
The Mediterranean-style diet was chosen as the alternative diet due to the ease of implementation in one’s daily routine. It was also chosen because strong evidence suggests a benefit in overall health. Which has the potential of also benefitting patients with Crohn’s.
How Will It Be Conducted?
Patients who enroll in the clinical trials will be randomly assigned to one of these two diets. Meals will be provided at no cost for six weeks through a meal delivery service called Real Food Works. Patients will report their outcomes on a weekly basis using the CCFA Partners infrastructure. Disease activity will also be assessed by the patients’ physicians. Mucosal inflammation will be assessed by measuring calprotectin in the feces at baseline, at six weeks and then again at 12 weeks.
I, for one, am very pleased that a scientific study is being done in regards to food. I hope that this helps settle some debates in the IBD community. As I’ve stated before, my mother has done well at managing her disease by avoiding certain foods. I find myself quite envious of people who have found diet changes helpful. I hope that this study will finally bring to light some of the questions facing us in regards to how diet helps certain people and why it fails for others.
For more about this study, click here.
For more information about the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, visit their website: www.pcori.org.
For more information about the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, visit their website: www.ccfa.org.
