Lactose, Dairy and/or Gluten free diets for IBD

Lactose, Dairy and/or Gluten free

Removing certain elements from your diet can relieve symptoms of Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

Lactose-, Dairy-, and Glutenfree foods on a wooden table

Bottles with lactose and dairy free liquids and glutenfree foods.

About Lactose, Dairy and/or Gluten free

Gluten-free diets (GFD) are required in celiac disease and are becoming more widely utilized in non-celiac gluten sensitivity, found to be present in 30% of people with IBD¹ . Animal studies show gluten may promote intestinal inflammation and increase intestinal permeability, known to be adversely increased in IBD² . Although research for GFD is very limited in IBD, consideration is warranted, as an improvement of GI symptoms with a GFD is reported by Herfath³, and many people with IBD opt for a GFD based on self-reported symptoms. In one survey, only gluten-free bread was found to be tolerated by people with IBD⁴ . When choosing a GFD, it is important to eat a well-balanced diet, as many unhealthy processed foods are now available as gluten-free options.

A lactose-free diet may improve symptoms in patients who do not digest lactose fully. Approximately 30% of people with IBD are lactose intolerant or have lactose malabsorption, which is similar to the general population⁵.

Dairy is among the top dietary antigens, and some patients who do not find relief with a lactose-free diet may find improvement with a dairy-free diet. Approximately 30% of people with IBD adopt a dairy-free diet⁶.

Other options for persistent symptom relief are the Low-FODMAP diet and avoiding trigger foods.

References

1: Aziz, I., Branchi, F., Pearson, K., Priest, J., & Sanders, D. S. (2015). A Study Evaluating the Bidirectional Relationship Between Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Self-reported Non-celiac Gluten Sensitivity: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, 21(4), 847–853. https://doi.org/10.1097/MIB.0000000000000335‍

2: Mehandru, S., & Colombel, J.-F. (2021). The intestinal barrier, an arbitrator turned provocateur in IBD. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 18(2), 83–84. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-020-00399-w‍

3: Herfarth, H. H., Martin, C. F., Sandler, R. S., Kappelman, M. D., & Long, M. D. (2014). Prevalence of a Gluten-free Diet and Improvement of Clinical Symptoms in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, 20(7), 1194–1197. https://doi.org/10.1097/MIB.0000000000000077‍

4: Morton, H., Pedley, K. C., Stewart, R. J. C., & Coad, J. (2020). Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Are Symptoms and Diet Linked? Nutrients, 12(10), 2975. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12102975‍

5: Jasielska, M., & Grzybowska-Chlebowczyk, U. (2019). Lactose Malabsorption and Lactose Intolerance in Children with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Gastroenterology Research and Practice, 2019, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/2507242‍

6: Guida, L., Di Giorgio, F. M., Busacca, A., Carrozza, L., Ciminnisi, S., Almasio, P. L., Di Marco, V., & Cappello, M. (2021). Perception of the Role of Food and Dietary Modifications in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Impact on Lifestyle. Nutrients, 13(3), 759. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030759

Delicious and Nutritious Recipes

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