Nutritional Interventions for the Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Dear Colleagues,

The group of conditions known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) encompass Crohn’s disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) and IBD unclassified (IBDU). Dietary factors appear to contribute to the pathogenesis of these conditions and they are associated with various adverse nutritional consequences. Furthermore, nutritional interventions are increasingly recognised as having roles in the management of these conditions. For example, exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) has been considered a therapy to induce remission for many years; it is now recommended in several guidelines as the preferred first-line therapy for children after CD diagnosis and is used in many centres for children and adults. Other nutritional interventions have been developed and evaluated in recent years. These include the CD Exclusion Diet (CDED), Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), Mediterranean Diet (MED) and numerous other nutritional approaches.

Whilst there is increasing interest from individuals with IBD, the use of these interventions appears to vary substantially between centres and countries. In addition, the consideration of which intervention and the relative merits of one over another are unclear.

The impact of these nutritional interventions on the underlying inflammation and the intestinal microbiome have not been fully elucidated, along with the mechanisms of action. While these interventions clearly have important roles in the management of IBD, many gaps remain in the current understanding.

This research topic welcomes submissions of original research articles and review articles that relate to the role and impact of nutritional interventions in individuals with IBD. 

The topics for this call for papers include, but are not restricted to:

•    The short- and long-term outcomes of nutritional interventions in individuals with active IBD;
•    The role of nutritional interventions in the maintenance of remission in individuals with IBD;
•    Factors that might predict or be valuable in enhancing the outcome of these interventions;
•    The mechanisms by which these nutritional interventions have their described outcomes;
•    Comparisons between different interventions and across different settings (such as geographical, cultural or other);
•    Interactions between these interventions and other medical or surgical interventions in individuals with IBD;
•    The attitudes and approaches to these interventions by healthcare professionals and individuals with IBD.

Prof. Dr. Andrew S. Day
Dr. Zubin Grover
Guest Editors

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• inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• nutritional interventions
• CROHN’S disease (CD)
• ulcerative colitis (UC)
• IBD unclassified (IBDU)
• dietary factors
• exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN)
• intestinal microbiome