Nutritional factors in inflammatory bowel disease

Dietary antigens may act as important stimuli of the mucosal immune system and have led to the study of nutritional therapy for IBD. Patients with active CD respond to bowel rest, along with total enteral nutrition or TPN. Bowel rest and TPN are as effective as corticosteroids at inducing remission for patients with active CD, although benefits are short-lived. Enteral nutrition is consistently less effective than conventional corticosteroids for treatment of active CD. Use of palatable, liquid polymeric diets in active CD is controversial, but these diets are of equal efficacy when compared with elemental diets. UC has not been treated effectively with either elemental diets or TPN. Fish oil contains n-3-PUFA, which inhibits production of proinflammatory cytokines and has some benefit in the treatment of CD. Topical applications of short-chain fatty acids have benefited diversion colitis and distal UC, whereas probiotics hold promise in the treatment of pouchitis.     

Current therapy of pediatric Crohn’s disease

Inflammatory bowel diseases(IBD), including Crohn's disease(CD) and ulcerative colitis, are chronic relapsing and remitting diseases of the bowel, with an unknown etiology and appear to involve interaction between genetic susceptibility, environmental factors and the immune system. Although our knowledge and understanding of the pathogenesis and causes of IBD have improved significantly, the incidence in the pediatric population is still rising. In the last decade more drugs and treatment option have become available including 5-aminosalicylate,antibiotics, corticosteroids, immunomodulators and biological agents. Before the use of anti-tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α became available to patients with IBD, the risk for surgery within five years of diagnosis was very high, however, with anti-TNF-α treatment the risk of surgery has decreased significantly. In the pediatric population a remission in disease can be achieved by exclusive enteral nutrition. Exclusive enteral nutrition also has an important role in the improvement of nutritional status and maintained growth. In this review we summarize the current therapeutic treatments in CD. The progress in the treatment options and the development of new drugs has led to optimized tactics for achieving the primary clinical goals of therapy- induction and maintenance of remission while improving the patient's growth and overall well-being.     

Nutritional therapy in inflammatory bowel diseas

Opinion statement Nutritional intervention is an important adjunctive therapy for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The correction and maintenance of nutritional status, achieved by careful nutritional monitoring and intervention, should be an integral part of the multidisciplinary management of IBD throughout all stages of the disease. In acute Crohn’s disease, enteral nutrition (polymeric and elemental) is an effective and safe primary therapy for many patients. Enteral diets should be considered as primary therapy in pediatric Crohn’s disease patients, especially in children with poor nutritional status or growth impairment and in patients with severe drug-induced side effects. Total parenteral nutrition does not have a primary therapeutic role in IBD.     

Diet therapy for inflammatory bowel diseases: The established and the new

Although patients with inflammatory bowel diseases(IBD) have a strong interest in dietary modifications as part of their therapeutic management, dietary advice plays only a minor part in published guidelines. The scientific literature shows that dietary factors might influence the risk of developing IBD, that dysbiosis induced by nutrition contributes to the pathogenesis of IBD, and that diet may serve as a symptomatic treatment for irritable bowel syndrome-like symptoms in IBD. The role of nutrition in IBD is underscored by the effect of various dietary therapies. In paediatric patients with Crohn’s disease(CD) enteral nutrition(EN) reaches remission rates similar to steroids. In adult patients, however, EN is inferior to corticosteroids. EN is not effective in ulcerative colitis(UC). Total parenteral nutrition in IBD is not superior to steroids or EN. The use of specific probiotics in patients with IBD can be recommended only in special clinical situations. There is no evidence for efficacy of probiotics in CD. By contrast, studies in UC have shown a beneficial effect in selected patients. For patients with pouchitis, antibiotic treatment followed by probiotics, like VSL#3 or Lactobacillus GG, is effective. When probiotics are used, the risk of bacterial translocation and subsequent bacteremia has to be considered. More understanding of the normal intestinal microflora, and better characterization of probiotic strains at the phenotypic and genomic levels is needed as well as clarification of the mechanisms of action in different clinical settings. A FODMAP reduced diet may improve symptoms in IBD.     

Role of diet in the management of inflammatory bowel disease

Many studies have looked at connections between diet,etiology,signs and symptoms associated with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD).Although these connections are apparent to clinicians,they are difficult to prove qualitatively or quantitatively.Enteral feeding and polymeric diets are equally effective at bringing about remission in Crohn‘s disease(CD).Parenteral feeding is also effective,although none of these methods is as effective as corticosteroid therapy.However,enteral feeding is preferred in the pediat...     

The state of the art in the management of inflammatory bowel disease

Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), afflict an estimated one million Americans and produce symptoms that impair quality of life and ability to function. Progress in IBD management strategies has led to optimized approaches for achieving the two primary clinical goals of therapy: induction and maintenance of remission. Although surgery is indicated to treat refractory disease or specific complications, pharmacotherapy is the cornerstone of IBD management. The efficacy of aminosalicylates for induction of remission in mild to moderate UC and CD is well established, as is their role for maintenance of remission in UC. The sulfa-free mesalamine formulation offers an adverse effect profile similar to that of placebo, enabling the administration of higher, more effective doses. Although corticosteroids provide potent anti-inflammatory effects, their benefits are countermanded by the risk of intolerable and serious adverse effects, and they are ineffective for maintenance therapy. Other agents effective in inducing or maintaining remission are azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, infliximab, cyclosporine, methotrexate, and antibiotics. Ongoing clinical trials of experimental therapies will generate new tools for IBD treatment. Currently, a broad range of options allows physicians to tailor treatment to each patient's needs and preferences. Such considerations are essential for maximizing adherence to therapy.     

Nutritional Treatments in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Opinion statement  

Advances in nutritional therapy in inflammatory bowel diseases: Review

Inflammatory bowel diseases(IBD), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are chronic, life-long, and relapsing diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Currently, there are no complete cure possibilities, but combined pharmacological and nutritional therapy may induce remission of the disease. Malnutrition and specific nutritional deficiencies are frequent among IBD patients, so the majority of them need nutritional treatment, which not only improves the state of nutrition of the patients but has strong anti-inflammatory activity as well. Moreover, some nutrients, from early stages of life are suspected as triggering factors in the etiopathogenesis of IBD. Both parenteral and enteral nutrition is used in IBD therapy, but their practical utility in different populations and in different countries is not clearly established, and there are sometimes conflicting theories concerning the role of nutrition in IBD. This review presents the actual data from research studies on the influence of nutrition on the etiopathogenesis of IBD and the latest findings regarding its mechanisms of action. The use of both parenteral and enteral nutrition as therapeutic methods in induction and maintenance therapy in IBD treatment is also extensively discussed. Comparison of the latest research data, scientific theories concerning the role of nutrition in IBD, and different opinions about them are also presented and discussed. Additionally, some potential future perspectives for nutritional therapy are highlighted.     

Nutrition in inflammatory bowel disease

Nutrition has an important role in the management of inflammatory bowel disease. This role includes the prevention and correction of malnutrition, the prevention of osteoporosis and in children the promotion of optimal growth and development. In active Crohn's disease nutritional therapy (in the form of enteral feeding) is an effective primary therapy for many patients. Corticosteroids, however, are more effective than enteral diet therapy in adults. Enteral diets should be considered as primary therapy in pediatric Crohn's disease, especially in children with poor nutritional status or growth impairment. Enteral nutrition does not have a proven primary therapeutic role in ulcerative colitis. There are many theories that suggest that diet may be implicated in the aetiology of inflammatory bowel disease, however, there are, as yet, no dietary approaches proven to reduce the risk of developing IBD.     

Exclusive enteral feeding as primary therapy for Crohn's disease in Australian children and adolescents: a feasible and effective approach

BACKGROUND: Exclusive enteral feeding has been shown to be as efficacious as corticosteroids in inducing remission in children with Crohn's disease (CD), with additional nutritional benefits. The use of polymeric formulae provides superior palatability and acceptance over elemental feeds, but polymeric formulae have not been universally adopted. The present retrospective analysis of enteral feeding in children with Crohn's disease aims to demonstrate the short-term benefits of enteral feeding in children upon disease activity and nutrition parameters. METHODS: The case records of children with CD managed with exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) by a multidisciplinary team over a 2-year period were reviewed. Data relating to therapy, background disease details, and outcome were collated. Primary outcome measures established were weight change and disease activity (Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index: PCDAI). RESULTS: Twenty-seven children received EEN with polymeric formulae. Fifteen children had newly diagnosed CD and 12 had known long-standing CD. Twenty-four children completed the prescribed period of EEN. Twelve of 15 (80%) newly diagnosed CD and seven of 12 (58%) with long-standing disease entered remission. Children with newly diagnosed CD responding to EEN took all feeds orally and gained an average of 4.7+/-3.5 kg with mean PCDAI decreasing from 37.1+/-10.8 to 6.7+/-5.1 after 8 weeks. In addition, four children continued supplementary polymeric formula (without other medical therapies) and all have maintained remission during an average follow-up period of 15.2 months. CONCLUSION: Exclusive enteral feeds induced remission in 80% of children with newly diagnosed CD (on intention-to-treat basis) when used as sole initial therapy while also improving nutritional status. All newly diagnosed children treated with EEN, who were able to establish feeds, achieved remission. In addition, remission may be prolonged with oral supplementary formula as sole ongoing treatment. Further study of the role(s) of enteral feeds and of longer-term benefits of enteral feeding in children with CD is now required.     

Short- and long-term therapeutic efficacy of nutritional therapy and corticosteroids in paediatric Crohn''s disease

BACKGROUND: Comparative data on the therapeutic efficacy of different enteral nutrition formulas and corticosteroids to obtain clinical remission and to induce mucosal healing influencing long-term disease course in paediatric Crohn's disease are still scarce. AIMS: To investigate the efficacy of nutritional therapy using three different formulas versus corticosteroids to achieve clinical remission as well as to induce intestinal mucosal healing in active Crohn's disease children. Duration of remission and effect on growth recovery were also assessed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Clinical, laboratory, endoscopic and histological data of all new diagnosed active Crohn's disease paediatric cases were retrospectively recorded and reviewed. Thirty-seven children (median age 12.1 years) received nutritional therapy (12 polymeric; 13 semi-elemental; 12 elemental diet) and 10 subjects (median age 12.4 years) received corticosteroids. RESULTS: Similar clinical remission rate were observed after 8 weeks of treatment: 86.5% children receiving nutritional therapy versus 90% treated with corticosteroids. Improvement in mucosal inflammation occurred in 26 out of 37 (64.8%) patients on nutritional therapy and in 4 out of 10 (40%) children on steroids (p < 0.05). Finally, seven subjects on nutritional therapy and none on corticosteroids achieved complete mucosal healing (p < 0.005) at the end of the treatment. Nutritional therapy was more effective than corticosteroids in improving nutritional status and linear growth recovery. Compared to corticosteroids, the duration of clinical remission was longer in the nutritional therapy groups without differences among the three different formulas. CONCLUSIONS: In children with active Crohn's disease, nutritional therapy is more effective than corticosteroids to improve intestinal inflammation and to maintain a more sustained clinical remission.     

Nutritional therapy for active Crohn’s disease

Nutritional therapy for active Crohn’s disease （CD） is an underutilised form of treatment in adult patients, though its use is common in the paediatric population. There is evidence that nutritional therapy can effectively induce remission of CD in adult patients. Enteral nutrition therapy is safe and generally well tolerated. Meta-analysis data suggest that corticosteroids are superior to nutritional treatment for induction of remission in active CD. However, the potential side effects of such pharmacotherapy must be taken into consideration. This review examines the evidence for the efficacy of elemental and polymeric diets, and the use of total parenteral nutrition in active CD.     

Nutrition and inflammatory bowel disease

Nutritional support, whether enteral or parenteral, is an important part of the treatment of IBD. Inadequate oral intake, malabsorption, and increased gastrointestinal losses all contribute to malnutrition. Weight loss, cachexia, abnormal body composition, and multiple micronutrient deficiencies are common. Acute repletion of body weight and correction of specific nutrient deficiencies improve the patients' sense of well-being and decrease morbidity, especially in the perioperative period. If a short period of bowel rest (10 to 14 days) is part of the medical therapy of acute exacerbations of IBD, TPN should be administered to prevent further nutritional deficiencies. Chronic undernutrition, and growth failure in children, usually are best treated by intensive enteral supplementation. Prolonged bowel rest and TPN (4 to 6 weeks) have not been shown to improve outcome but may be appropriate in carefully selected patients. Long-term home TPN may be necessary for patients who have short gut syndrome. The mainstay of treatment for IBD is medical therapy including corticosteroids. Timely and appropriate surgery is equally important and should not be considered a last resort. Careful nutritional management is essential but is adjunctive rather than primary therapy.     

Prospective clinical trial: enteral nutrition during maintenance infliximab in Crohn’s disease

Purpose  

Hitherto, the efficacy of enteral nutrition (EN) on clinical outcomes during biological maintenance therapy in Crohn’s disease (CD) has not been investigated. This prospective study was to assess the efficacy of EN on the maintenance rate of clinical remission in patients with quiescent CD receiving infliximab as maintenance therapy.     

Treatment of inflammatory bowel disease in childhood.

Of all patients with Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis, the first presentation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is at a paediatric or adolescent age in 20% to 30%, most children being prepubertal at diagnosis. It is essential to provide an accurate diagnosis in children suspected of IBD, as the initial treatment of Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis in children is not the same as it is in adults. While the role of enteral feeding in the treatment of Crohn disease in adults continues to be controversial, there is firm evidence to support the use of enteral feeding as primary therapy for Crohn disease in children. Nutrition is improved by enteral feeding, and growth and pubertal development are promoted, while the systemic toxicity of corticosteroid therapy is avoided. Supplementary nocturnal enteral nutrition (with daytime intake of normal diet) after primary therapy and remission induction may be associated with the prolongation of remission. Drug treatment in children with IBD is characterized by a lack of evidence from controlled trials.     

Enteral nutrition in the therapy of gastrointestinal diseases (according to materials of the European Association of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition)]

The present article gives evidence-based recommendations for the indication, application and type of formula of enteral nutrition (EN) (oral nutrition supplements (ONS) or tube feeding (TF)) in patients with Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC), short bowel syndrome (SBS), acute and chronic pancreatitis, alcoholic steatogepatitis and cirrosis. ONS and/or TF in addition to normal food is indicates in undernourished patients with CD or UC to improve nutritional status. In active CD EN is the first line therapy in children and should be used as sole therapy in adults mainly when treatment with corticosteroids is not feasible. No significant differences have been shown in the effects of free amino acid, peptide-based and hole protein formulae for TF. In remission ONS is recommended only in steroid dependent patients in CD. In patients with SBS TF should be introduced in the adaptation phase and should be changed with progressing adaptation to ONS in addition to normal food. Special nutrition support should not be used routinely in patients with mild or moderate acute pancreatitis. EN is the preffered route in patients with pancreatitis and should be attempted before initiating parenteral nutrition. Nutrition assessment in patients with liver disease should include screening for micronutrient deficiencies. Protein restriction should be implemented for the acute management of hepatic encephalopathy and should not be implemented chronically in patients with liver disease.     

Nutritional therapy of Crohn's disease in childhood

Crohn's disease is a chronic, incurable inflammatory bowel disease commonly diagnosed in childhood and adolescence. Growth failure represents a common, serious complication unique to the pediatric age group. Although the etiology of growth failure is multifactorial, malnutrition due to inadequate nutrient intake is the primary cause. Recent studies have demonstrated that nutritional supplementation through an enteral or parenteral route restores body composition and reverses linear and ponderal growth failure. The development of elemental diets that can be administered nasogastrically at home has afforded a more practical, less expensive, and less hazardous method of providing Crohn's disease patients with nutritional supplementation and bowel rest. Elemental-diet therapy has also been shown to be a safe, effective method of inducing a remission in acute Crohn's disease. Further studies are required to develop optimal nutritional therapy which may sustain long-term remission in this disease.     

Importance of nutrition in inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease （IBD） results from the interaction between an individual＇s immune response and precipitant environmental factors, which generatean anomalous chronic inflammatory response in thosewho are genetically predisposed. Various feeding practices have been implicated in the origin of IBD based on epidemiological observations in developed countries, but we do not have solid evidence for the etiological role played by specific food types. IBD is associated with frequent nutritional deficiencies, thepattern and severity of which depends on the extent,duration and activity of the inflammation. Nutritional support allows these deficiencies in calories, macro and micronutrients to be rectified. Enteral nutrition is also aprimary therapy for IBD, especially for Crohn＇s disease,as it allows the inflammatory activity to be controlled,kept in remission, and Drevents or delays the need forsurgery. Nutritional support is especially important in childhood IBD as an alternative to pharmacological treatment. This report discusses the complex relationship between diet and IBD.     

Impact of enteral nutrition on energy metabolism in patients with Crohn’s disease

AIM: To investigate the impact of enteral nutrition(EN) on the body composition and metabolism in patientswith Crohn's disease(CD). METHODS: Sixty-one patients diagnosed with CD were enrolled in this study. They were given only EN(enteral nutritional suspension, TPF, non-elemental diet) support for 4 wk, without any treatment with corticosteroids, immunosuppressive drugs, infliximab or by surgical operation. Body composition statistics such as weight, body mass index, skeletal muscle mass(SMM), fat mass, protein mass and inflammation indexes such as C-reactive protein(CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR) and CD activity index(CDAI) were recorded before and after EN support. RESULTS: The 61 patients were divided into three groups according to CDAI before and after EN support: A(active phase into remission via EN, n = 21), B(remained in active phase before and after EN, n = 19) and C(in remission before and after EN, n = 21). Patients in group A had a significant increase in SMM(22.11 ± 4.77 kg vs 23.23 ± 4.49 kg, P = 0.044), protein mass(8.01 ± 1.57 kg vs 8.44 ± 1.45 kg, P = 0.019) and decrease in resting energy expenditure(REE) per kilogram(27.42 ± 5.01 kcal/kg per day vs 22.62 ± 5.45 kcal/kg per day, P 0.05). There was no significant difference between predicted and measured REE in active CD patients according to the HarrisBenedict equation. There was no linear correlation between the measured REE and CRP, ESR or CDAI in active CD patients. CONCLUSION: EN could decrease the hypermetabolism in active CD patients by reducing the inflammatory response.     

Enteral diet in Crohn's disease. Nutritional and therapeutic implications in patient's management

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are often characterized by impairment of nutritional status. Crohn's disease (CD) patients, especially in the active phase of disease, show a reduced body weight, due to the reduction of lipid stores, in spite of lean mass depletion. Fat mass reduction has been correlated to an increased utilization of lipids as fuel substrate. The alterations of nutritional status are able, in turn, to influence, as independent factors, the disease course and patient prognosis. A disease's treatment based only on pharmacologic therapy, especially on corticosteroid use in the active phases, often does not take into account the relevant need for preserving a normal nutritional status. In this connection, enteral nutrition has been shown to be able to improve nutritional status and induce and maintain remission. We present some of the possible mechanisms of efficacy of enteral feeding and some rules to attempt to treat patients with IBD, especially those with Crohn's disease.