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MONDAY, July 13, 2020<\/p>\n
A low-fat, high-fiber<\/a> diet<\/a> may improve the quality of life of patients with ulcerative colitis<\/a>, a new study finds.<\/p>\n “Patients with inflammatory bowel disease<\/a> always ask us what they should eat to make their symptoms better,” said researcher Dr. Maria Abreu. She’s a professor of medicine and microbiology and immunology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.<\/p>\n “Sadly, there have been very few really good studies that provide that information,” she said in a university news release.<\/p>\n For the study, Abreu and her colleagues looked at 17 people with ulcerative colitis<\/a>. Colitis<\/a> is an inflammatory bowel disease<\/a> that can cause bloody diarrhea<\/a>, abdominal cramps<\/a> and pain<\/a>. Each patient in the study was either in remission or had mild disease, with little diarrhea<\/a>, bleeding or pain<\/a>.<\/p>\n One group ate a high-fiber<\/a> diet<\/a> rich in fruits and vegetables, with just 10% of calories from fat.<\/p>\n Another group ate a diet<\/a> with more fruits, vegetables and fiber than a usual American diet<\/a>. But about 35% to 40% of their calories came from fat.<\/p>\n The groups ate these diets for a month and then switched diets for another month.<\/p>\n “The results were fascinating and show us how poorly patients eat at baseline,” Abreu said.<\/p>\n People who ate a low-fat diet had lower levels of inflammation and signs of improvement in bacterial imbalance in the gastrointestinal tract, the researchers found. Yet many ulcerative colitis<\/a> patients are told to avoid fruits and vegetables, the researchers noted.<\/p>\n A high-fiber, low-fat diet might also benefit people with other types of inflammatory bowel disease<\/a>, such as Crohn’s disease.<\/p>\n “We are now testing a similar diet in Crohn’s disease patients, but adding a psychological component to help with long-term adherence to a healthy diet,” Abreu said.<\/p>\n The report was published June 30 in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology<\/i>.<\/p>\n — Steven Reinberg<\/p>\n![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
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