Diet and Disease Activity in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

In addition to a genetic susceptibility, the immune system and the intestinal microbiota, diet is hypothesized to be an important factor in the onset and progression of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). Further insight in factors affecting disease activity may contribute to targeted interventions improving disease burden and healthcare costs for these patients. However, well-designed studies exploring the role of diet in the development of exacerbations are hardly available.

The investigators hypothesize that differences in dietary patterns affects the intestinal microbiota composition and thereby contributes to the development of exacerbations in IBD.

Furthermore, a subgroup of patients suffers from malnutrition, although the exact prevalence is unknown since simple noninvasive screening tools have not been validated for IBD. The investigators hypothesize that malnutrition is frequently present in IBD patients and associated with dietary intake and disease characteristics.