Exceptions to the rule
“It’s not clear that all additives are harmful,” Dr. Lewis said, pointing to a placebo-controlled study suggesting a beneficial effect of soy lecithin in patients with UC. The additive is composed of at least 30% of phosphatidycholine, a component of intestinal mucus.
He also noted that there is an ongoing randomized, placebo-controlled trial comparing a low-additive diet to a habitual diet in 154 patients with mildly active, stable Crohn’s disease.
Session moderator Michael J. Rosen, MD, MSCI, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, Calif., told this news organization that dietary components do appear to have an influence on the disease course in patients with IBD.
“I do think there are patients with IBD who are maybe genetically predisposed to being sensitive to certain components of diet,” he said in an interview seeking objective commentary.
“Particularly in pediatrics there are lines of evidence of diets maybe having some efficacy in treatment. It needs further study, but one commonality about those diets is that they tend to eliminate processed foods and focus on whole foods,” he said.
Dr. Lewis’ work is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, and from AbbVie, Takeda, Janssen, and Nestlé Health Science. He has served as a consultant to and data safety monitoring board member for several entitities. Dr. Rosen reported no conflicts of interest to disclose.
