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Nutritionals at Whitehall-Robins Inc, Mississauga,
Ont. harsh@durham.net
OBJECTIVE: To review recent evidence
on dietary factors associated with diverticular
disease (DD) with special emphasis on dietary
fibre.
QUALITY OF EVIDENCE: MEDLINE was
searched from January 1966 to December 2001
for articles on the relationship between
dietary and other lifestyle factors and DD.
Most articles either focused on dietary intervention
in treating symptomatic DD or were case-control
studies with inherent limitations for studying
diet-disease associations. Only one large
prospective study of male health professionals
in the United States assessed diet at baseline
and before initial diagnosis of DD.
MAIN MESSAGE: A diet high in fibre mainly from fruits and
vegetables and low in total fat and red meat
decreases risk of DD. Evidence indicates
that the insoluble component of fibre is
strongly associated with lower risk of DD;
this association was particularly strong
for cellulose. Caffeine and alcohol do not
substantially increase risk of DD, nor does
obesity, but higher levels of physical activity
seem to reduce risk of DD.
CONCLUSION: A
diet high in fibre and low in total fat and
red meat and a lifestyle with more physical
activity might help prevent DD.
PMID: 12449547 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] |
