Believe it or not, digestive diseases are among the most common health problems people face today. Unfortunately, this issue often does not receive enough public attention, and problems related to it are frequently treated as a taboo and kept silent. However, the statistics related to digestive diseases clearly show that it is important to talk about them because those affected are definitely not alone:
- 60 - 70 million Americans suffer from chronic digestive disorders.
- 2-27% of the population suffer from chronic constipation (depending on gender, age, and diet).
- 15% of the population suffer from irritable bowel syndrome.
- More than 40% of people worldwide have a functional gastrointestinal disorder (also called disorders of the gut-brain interaction)*.
- Digestive diseases account for 25% of all surgical procedures.
What exactly are digestive diseases?
Basically, all the organs responsible for the intake, breakdown, transport, and ultimately digestion of food belong to this category. In medicine, two different areas are distinguished here – the upper digestive tract, which consists of the oral cavity including the teeth, the pharynx, the esophagus, and the stomach, and the lower digestive tract, which consists of the large and small intestines, the pancreas, the liver, and the gallbladder. So, it is not easy to summarize all the different disease patterns and diseases in general in this short blog post, so today we will focus on the most common intestinal diseases, the so-called IBD (inflammatory bowel diseases) Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease can affect the entire digestive tract – that is, the whole area from the mouth to the anus. However, Crohn’s disease usually occurs in the terminal sections of the small intestine. The peculiarity of this disease is that healthy and unhealthy parts of the intestine alternate and not one continuous area is affected. You can think of it as a “patchwork” of affected and intact intestinal sections. If someone suffers from this disease, it means that all layers of the intestine are affected in the inflamed areas. This can lead to abscesses (pus pockets) or fistulas. If Crohn’s disease has progressed so far that fistulas form, “tunnels” have been dug through the intestinal wall and surrounding areas due to the inflammation. It can also lead to so-called stenoses – these are scarred narrowings in the intestine. To date, it has not been scientifically proven whether genetic composition has an impact on the disease, but factors such as personal hygiene, diet, and mental health can influence it.
Ulcerative Colitis
By the way, this chronic intestinal disease translates to “inflammation of the colon with ulcers.” Unlike Crohn’s disease, inflammation here occurs only in the colon. Additionally, the intestine is completely affected in those with ulcerative colitis and not “patchy” like in Crohn’s disease. So, there are no inflammation-free sections once the disease has broken out. Another noteworthy point is that ulcerative colitis begins in the rectum and spreads orally from there. Incidentally, UC only affects the topmost layer of the intestine and does not penetrate deeper tissue layers like Crohn’s disease does!
However, the two diseases have one thing in common – when they occur, the natural barrier function of the intestine is impaired. This has several negative consequences because this barrier is responsible for preventing disease-causing, harmful bacteria or other “intruders” from penetrating the intestinal mucosa.
If the intestinal barrier is not intact, this results in impaired immune defense. As a result, bacteria can more easily enter the body and trigger systemic inflammatory reactions – just as is the case with the two diseases explained above. Over time, systemic inflammations can unfortunately become chronic inflammations. This can lead to symptoms that also occur outside the intestine. These include inflammation in joints, ligaments, muscles, skin, eyes, and the liver. Furthermore, a long-lasting disease of the colon significantly increases the risk of colon cancer.
Healthy habits for a calm gut
Both in Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, food choices and diet in general are not easy because typical symptoms such as digestive discomfort, irregular bowel movements, diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, and weight loss are directly linked to food intake. This is because they usually occur immediately after eating. Unfortunately, it is not really possible to generalize what affected individuals can and should eat. However, due to frequent diarrhea in IBD, there is often a risk of malnutrition because nutrients consumed cannot be fully absorbed into the body. For this reason, there are some guidelines that one can roughly follow as long as no worsened symptoms are noticed from this diet. Ultimately, as so often in life, it is important to listen to your own gut feeling!
Food Do’s
- Protein-rich foods: especially because many proteins can be lost due to the typical diarrhea in IBD. Meat, fish, or poultry are suitable here.
- Carbohydrates: these provide energy – especially focus on long-chain carbohydrates from starch, such as potatoes, grains, and vegetables.
- Fresh: Eat fresh and varied foods. This way, you can fill and maintain stores of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements.
- Quantity: To avoid overwhelming your gut with large amounts at once, it can be helpful to eat several small portions spread throughout the day.
Food Don’ts
Especially during your acute phase, you should avoid consuming the following foods.
- Fatty foods: Chemically processed fats (trans fats) in particular have a negative effect on the gut.
- Gas-producing vegetables: These include legumes like chickpeas or lentils, but also vegetables such as cabbage.
- Carbonation: Carbonated drinks also irritate the gut by causing gas bubbles.
- Fiber: It depends on the amount because fiber is very healthy but hard to digest. It can also burden the gut, especially if it is already irritated!
- Acidic foods: Acidic fruits like lemons, oranges, pineapples, or kiwis, as well as acidic foods in general like onions and bell peppers, should definitely be avoided!
- Carbohydrates: Try to avoid refined carbohydrates.
