Adequate intake of fruits, fiber, and vegetables may help protect individuals from inflammatory bowel diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

This study evaluated the correlation between diets and the odds of developing inflammatory bowel diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Researchers reviewed data obtained from 19 studies that examined 6,609 subjects and 2609 cases of inflammatory bowel disease.

Researchers discovered that high dietary intake of vegetables and regular consumption of diets rich in fruits and fiber reduced the likelihood of developing ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease respectively. On the other hand, adherence to diets loaded with meat, saturated fats, and foods rich in omega-6, and polyunsaturated fatty acids was found to increase Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis development risk in this study. The results of this meta-analysis suggest that high dietary ingestion of fatty foods and meat may increase the susceptibility of an individual to inflammatory bowel diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.