Status
Conditions
Treatments
About
Crohn's disease (CD) results in chronic intestinal inflammation, is of increasing incidence both in the developed and developing world and has a marked impact on patient quality of life. The prevalence of CD is 10.6 per 100,000 people in the UK and represents a significant annual financial burden of around €16.7 billion in Europe.
A wide range of nutrients and food components have been investigated for their role in the pathogenesis and course of CD. A common theme suggests that CD risk is associated with a "Western diet", including high fat, high sugar and processed foods. However, intervention studies that exclude specific aspects of the diet such as sugar or that compare low and high fat diets have failed to show effectiveness in practice. Observational human and experimental animal studies suggest that certain food additives used extensively by the food industry play a role in the pathogenesis and natural history of CD. However, to date no evidence exists for the effectiveness of a diet low in these food additives in CD.
Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of a diet low in certain food additives compared to a normal UK diet on CD activity, health-related quality of life, gut bacteria, gut permeability, gut inflammation and dietary intake, in patients with mildly active, stable CD. We will recruit patients with mildly active CD and will randomise them to receive either the diet low in the food additives of interest, or the diet representative of a normal UK diet. Patients will follow their allocation diet for 8 weeks and will attend study visits at the start and end of the trial, at which points questionnaires will be completed and samples will be collected.
Enrollment
Sex
Ages
Volunteers
Inclusion criteria
Adults aged ≥16 years
CD diagnosis (defined by standard clinical, histological and radiological criteria) of at least 3 months
Mildly active disease as defined by:
Current body weight of ≥50 kg
Individuals able to give informed consent and willingness to participate
Exclusion criteria
Changes in dose to azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, methotrexate or anti-TNF-α agents or other biologics during the preceding 8 weeks, oral 5-ASA during the preceding four weeks. Currently receiving oral prednisolone/budesonide or discontinued within the last 4 weeks, unless they are on a stable dose of 10 mg/day or less prednisolone (3 mg or less budesonide) for at least 4 weeks with the intention to continue this long term.
Used rectal 5-ASA or rectal steroids in the preceding 4 weeks
Previous extensive bowel resection, defined as having had >2 intestinal resections, a sub-total colectomy or documented short bowel syndrome
Poorly controlled bile acid malabsorption
Current stoma
Recent use of the following treatments: antibiotics, probiotics, prebiotic or fibre supplements in the preceding four weeks, NSAIDs during the preceding week
Full bowel preparation for a diagnostic procedure in preceding 4 weeks
Comorbidities including sepsis/fever, diabetes or coeliac disease, or other concomitant serious comorbidity e.g. significant psychiatric, hepatic, renal, endocrine, respiratory, neurological or cardiovascular disease
Exclusive enteral nutrition in the past 8 weeks
Assessed as at nutritional risk, as defined by any of the following:
Following a restrictive diet (e.g. multiple restrictions due to numerous self-reported allergies) as judged by the dietitian
Reported pregnancy or lactation
Primary purpose
Allocation
Interventional model
Masking
154 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group
Loading...
Central trial contact
Christos Kelaiditis, MSc; Aaron Bancil, MBBS
Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov
Clinical trials
Research sites
Resources
Legal