These foods in common U.S. diets linked to inflammatory bowel disease

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In a new study, researchers found that foods, such as French fries, cheese, cookies, soda, and sports and energy drinks, are commonly found in the diets of United States adults with inflammatory bowel disease.

They analyzed the National Health Interview Survey 2015 to determine the food intake and frequency of consumption for U.S. adults with inflammatory bowel disease.

The findings reveal that foods typically labeled as junk food was linked to inflammatory bowel disease.

The research was conducted by a team at the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.

Inflammatory bowel disease, which is characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, affects three million U.S. adults.

There are two types of conditions, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.

Common symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease include persistent diarrhea, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding or bloody stools, weight loss, and fatigue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This study found fries were consumed by a greater number of people with inflammatory bowel disease, and they also ate more cheese and cookies and drank less 100 percent fruit juice compared to people who did not have inflammatory bowel disease.

Intaking fries and sports and energy drinks and frequently drinking soda were strongly linked to having been told one has inflammatory bowel disease.

Consuming milk or popcorn was less likely linked to receiving this diagnosis.

The team says to fully understand the role of food intake in inflammatory bowel disease risk and prevalence, it’s important to explore environmental factors (for example, food deserts), food processing (such as frying) and potential bioactive food components that can induce intestinal inflammation and increase susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease.

The lead author of the study is Dr. Moon Han in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences.

The study is published in the journal PLOS One.

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