Inflammatory bowel disease, often called IBD, is a chronic condition that causes inflammation in the digestive tract. The two main forms of IBD are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
These conditions can cause symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, and reduced quality of life.
Although researchers have made significant progress in understanding IBD, many questions remain about why some people develop the disease while others do not.
One area of growing interest is diet. Scientists have long suspected that modern eating habits may contribute to the rising number of IBD cases around the world. A new international study now suggests that one specific type of food—ultraprocessed grains—may play an important role.
The research was published in the June issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology. The study was led by Dr. Neeraj Narula from McMaster University in Canada and involved data from more than 124,000 people living in 21 different countries.
Over the past several decades, rates of inflammatory bowel disease have increased in many regions of the world. At the same time, diets have changed dramatically. Many people now consume more packaged and highly processed foods than previous generations. Researchers have been investigating whether this shift could be affecting digestive health.
Ultraprocessed foods are products that go through extensive industrial processing and often contain ingredients that are rarely used in home cooking.
These may include preservatives, flavor enhancers, emulsifiers, sweeteners, colorings, and other additives. Ultraprocessed grain products can include certain packaged breads, breakfast cereals, crackers, snack foods, pastries, and other grain-based products that have been heavily modified during manufacturing.
To explore the possible connection between these foods and IBD, researchers analyzed information from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology study, commonly known as PURE. This large international project follows participants over many years to examine how lifestyle and environmental factors influence health.
Participants completed detailed food frequency questionnaires that allowed researchers to estimate how much ultraprocessed grain they consumed. Based on their responses, individuals were divided into different consumption categories.
The results revealed a clear pattern. People who consumed the highest amounts of ultraprocessed grains had a significantly greater risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease compared with those who consumed the lowest amounts.
After accounting for many factors that could influence health, researchers found that individuals consuming at least 19 grams of ultraprocessed grains per day had an 86 percent higher risk of developing IBD compared with those consuming less than 9 grams per day.
The study also examined overall consumption of ultraprocessed foods. Here, the findings were even more striking. People who consumed five or more servings of ultraprocessed foods each day had nearly four times the risk of developing IBD compared with individuals who ate less than one serving per day.
Interestingly, not all grain products were linked to increased risk. Researchers found that fresh bread and rice consumption were associated with a lower risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease. This finding suggests that the degree of processing may be more important than the grain itself.
Scientists are still trying to understand exactly why ultraprocessed foods might affect digestive health. One possibility involves the gut microbiome, the vast community of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in the digestive tract. Previous research has shown that diet can significantly influence the composition of the gut microbiome.
Certain food additives found in ultraprocessed products may alter the balance of beneficial bacteria or affect the protective lining of the intestines. Over time, these changes could contribute to inflammation in susceptible individuals. Researchers have also suggested that highly processed foods may affect immune system function and increase inflammatory responses.
The findings are particularly important because inflammatory bowel disease often develops during adolescence or early adulthood and usually requires lifelong management. While current treatments can help control symptoms, there is no cure. Preventing disease development would therefore have significant public health benefits.
However, it is important to understand the limitations of the study. The research was observational, meaning it identified associations rather than proving direct cause and effect.
People who eat large amounts of ultraprocessed foods may also have other lifestyle factors that influence disease risk. Although researchers adjusted for many of these factors, some unknown influences may still exist.
The study also relied on participants reporting their own dietary habits, which can sometimes introduce errors. Nevertheless, the large sample size, international scope, and long-term follow-up strengthen confidence in the findings.
Overall, this study provides some of the strongest evidence to date that ultraprocessed grain products may contribute to the development of inflammatory bowel disease. The findings support growing recommendations to focus on whole foods and minimize highly processed products whenever possible.
While more research is needed to confirm the biological mechanisms involved, the results suggest that reducing consumption of ultraprocessed foods could be an important step toward protecting digestive health and lowering the global burden of IBD.
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