title: Dietary Practices and Beliefs in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An epidemiological association implicating diet in IBD risk or protection is widely accepted. Patients with IBD often make links to diet, but there is a dearth of literature exploring dietary perceptions and practices in this population. Our objective was to evaluate dietary beliefs and behaviors in IBD patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We developed a questionnaire assessing demographics, dietary beliefs and habits in IBD patients. This was prospectively administered to 400 consecutive patients attending our IBD clinics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean patient age was 48.4 years; 55% were female, 88% white, 39% had Crohn's disease and 51% had ulcerative colitis. Around 48% felt that diet could be the initiating factor in IBD and 57% felt it could trigger a flare. Worsening symptoms with certain foods was reported by 60%. About 66% deprived themselves of their favorite foods in order to prevent relapse. Three-fourth of patients believed that IBD affects appetite, more so during a relapse. Nearly half had never received any formal dietary advice, and two-thirds requested for further dietary advice. After adjusting for other predictors, the IBD subtype and ethnicity of the patients remained as significant factors for influencing beliefs held by patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study showed that patients hold beliefs pertaining to the role of diet in IBD, with a high level of consistency around key perceived triggers. Whether all the symptoms reported are due to active inflammation cannot be ascertained, but the potential exists for dietary components triggering active disease and perpetuating gut injury, impacting on quality of life and health care costs.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Gastroenterology, The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom; and †Institute of Inflammation and Repair, Manchester Academic Health Sciences, Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jimmy K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Limdi
authors.forename: Divya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aggarwal
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: McLaughlin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004032:Diet; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult