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February 9, 2012
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Diet and Nutrition in Crohn's Disease

Medical Author:
Kathryn L Hale, MS, PA-C
Coauthor:
Sandeep Mukherjee, MD, MB, BCh
Medical Editor:
Simmy Bank, MD, MB, ChB
Medical Editor:
Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD
Medical Editor:
BS Anand, MD

Why is good nutrition such a challenge for people with Crohn's disease?

Most of us know that good nutrition is essential to good health. Good nutrition is even more important to people whose health is compromised by a chronic disease. When you have Crohn's disease, maintaining good nutrition can be a real challenge.

Several factors contribute to nutritional problems in people with Crohn's disease. When inflamed, the small intestine is not able to do its main job, which is absorbing nutrients from food. The degree of this impairment, called malabsorption, depends on the extent of inflammation and damage in the intestine.
 
To make matters worse, the intestinal inflammation and pain of the disease reduce your appetite, so you probably do not eat enough to supply your nutritional needs. Diarrhea further depletes important nutrients. Compounding the problem is the fact that people with a chronic illness such as Crohn's disease require more calories and certain other nutrients than healthy people. The most common nutritional problem in people with Crohn's disease is insufficient calorie intake.

Picture of Crohn's Disease


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Diet and Nutrition in Crohn's Disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease »

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Overview

The term inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) covers a group of disorders in which the intestines become inflamed (red and swollen), probably as a result of an immune reaction of the body against its own intestinal tissue.

Two major types of IBD are described: ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). As the name suggests, ulcerative colitis is limited to the colon (large intestine). Although Crohn's disease can involve any part of the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus, it most commonly affects the small intestine and/or the colon.

Both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease usually run a waxing and waning course in the intensity and severity of illness. When there is severe inflammation, the disease is considered ...

Read the Inflammatory Bowel Disease article »


Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape

Crohn Disease »

Crohn disease is an idiopathic, chronic, transmural inflammatory process of the bowel that often leads to fibrosis and obstructive symptoms, which can affect any part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract from the mouth to the anus.

Read More on Medscape Reference »

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