A new study finds no link between nuts, seeds and corn and diverticulitis risk in women. However, following a healthy diet was associated with lower odds of the painful disease.
Nuts, seeds and corn don’t have to be off-limits for women with a common digestive disorder. A new study finds no link between these popular foods and the risk of diverticulitis.
Diverticulitis occurs when abnormal pouches form in the lining of the large intestine causing inflammation and infection.
Nuts, seeds and corn have historically been presumed to trigger these painful attacks, according to researchers.
Looking for evidence, they analyzed data from more than 34,000 women aged 35 to 75 years who filled out a series of food questionnaires between 2003 and 2022.
The participants had no history of inflammatory bowel disease, cancer or diverticulitis at the start. About 1,500 cases of diverticulitis were diagnosed by the end of the monitoring period but no association was found between dietary intake of nuts, seeds and corn and the disease.
The researchers also looked at the impact of four healthy eating plans on diverticulitis risk, including the Dash diet, the Healthy Eating Index, the Alternative Healthy Eating Index and the Alternative Mediterranean diet.
All four were associated with a reduced risk for diverticulitis in women…possibly due to their anti-inflammatory properties, the researchers say.
Previous investigations in men have found similar results.
The authors say this suggests, “Adherence to a healthy dietary pattern is a reasonable recommendation for men and women to reduce the risk for diverticulitis.”
Source: Annals of Internal Medicine
Author Affiliations: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
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