Ashkenazi Jews, Diet & Possible Connection to IBD

[nogutsnoglory]

For a while it was thought that IBD only effects Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jews. While we know now that this disease is global it still primarily effects those of this community.

I wonder if any research has been done or if people have hypothesized as to what this community eats that might be causing problems. There may be a genetic predisposition but there is probably an environmental trigger.

 

[Jam300]

I've read a lot of very tenuous and plain stupid reasons why this is, not sure i've ever actually heard a convincing one so would be quite curious to see the fruits of this thread.

It surely must be more than a genetic link through a group of historically interbred people?

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I'm not sure how much interbreeding occurred. I do know that Ashkenazi Jews today eat a pretty unhealthy diet high in processed and refined foods. I am not sure what the diet consisted of in the early 19th century.

A lot of kosher products such as dairy & meat alternatives are filled with junk ingredients.

 

[Jam300]

I'm not sure how much interbreeding occurred. I do know that Ashkenazi Jews today eat a pretty unhealthy diet high in processed and refined foods. I am not sure what the diet consisted of in the early 19th century.

A lot of kosher products such as dairy & meat alternatives are filled with junk ingredients.

A huge amount of interbreeding occured way back when, subsequently why jews are identifiable as a race as well as a religous group.

I saw someone theorize that not eating pork had something to do with it, they were using this logic to advocate whip worms or hook worms, whichever one comes from pigs. Not sure that's very feasible though.

 

[nikimazur]

I am of Ashkenazi Jewish hereditary. I never heard of the food related aspect, but have done research on why this population was more affected.

Crohn's is partially hereditary, and when interbreeding, or even breeding in very small groups/races of people or small villages, the risks for genetic mutations/disorders is greatly heightened. Even if not siblings first cousins or even second cousins, there is still plausibly and difficulties when a man and a woman have similar genetic mapping. In fact it is a common cause of conception difficulties in couples today. There is a lot more to this theory

Crohns is just one of the many genetic diseases that affect this group of people, things like Tay-Sachs, cystic fibrosis and gaucher disease are also extremely prevalent.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Health/genetics.html

http://judaism.about.com/od/health/a/geneticdisorder.htm

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/apr/18/science/sci-jewish-iq18

https://www.google.com/search?q=ash...dd4d1494a0cd15&bpcl=35466521&biw=1024&bih=672

 

[nikimazur]

Another article: http://health.usnews.com/health-new...ns-linked-to-crohns-disease-in-ashkenazi-jews

sorry for massive amount of info but there is a lot of research behind it in the field of epidemiology (the study of diseases and etiology of disease, and what my Master's degree is in)

 

[BAllen]

Hi. Noguts, I see that you take prozac and was wondering if it helps you ans your IBD? I don't take any meds and mostly follow a scd/paleo diet with some miscues from time to time. I took lexapro years ago and it seemed to help. I tried it again and it just made me so tired. Thank you.

 

[Ozboz]

I am ashkenazi jewish iwas born in russia we never heard of anyone with ibd there and also never followed a kosher diet and mever ate much processed foods over there as during communist times there were no take aways and most of the food was bought from farmers,
Well i have been living in australia for the past 23 years eating crap here and there also eat pork pretty much everything,
Anyway alot of people that emigrated from the same region belarus ukraine russia have developed ibd mainly crohns and were the first in our families to develop crohns i mean most kids of immigrants we came here between the ages of 5&10
and have been here around 15 years when we started developing ibd i got diagnosed at 24 few months shy of my 25 th bday and now have crohns for 5 nealy 6 years,

So explain this why did the kiids of immigrants of askenazi jews develop crohns here and parents and previous generations never heard of it over there.
One theory is that all the crap we started eating here maccas processed food triggered a gene that brought on crohns

Something to think about