Photo: FitTasteTic via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped. This adapted image is also licensed CC BY-SA 2.0.
A healthy plant-based diet is linked to a 25% to 29% lower risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the group of conditions that includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. In people who already had IBD, it was linked to half the risk of needing IBD-related surgery.
The researchers, led by Dr. Jie Chen of Central South University in China, analyzed 187,888 UK Biobank participants and 341,539 people in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) across eight countries, publishing in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe. Comparing the top and bottom fifths, a healthful plant-based diet was linked to 25% lower risk in UK Biobank and 29% lower in EPIC. An unhealthy plant-based diet, with refined grains, sweets and sugary drinks, was linked to around 50% higher risk in both, according to the paper.
The authors conclude:
We provide evidence that the composition of a plant-based diet may be an important determinant of the risk of developing IBD, and of disease course after diagnosis.
Once again it is whole plant foods that matter: wholegrains, fruit, vegetables, nuts and legumes.
A healthy plant-based diet has also been linked to 20% lower bowel cancer risk in men, and eating more fiber to lower risk of bowel cancer.
Good news for guts everywhere.