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CCFC IBD Symposium - Please read

Part 1 (diet)

I went to the IBD and you Education Symposium today in Edmonton, AB, Canada. I thought I would share some of the information with you all. This is Part 1. :) Please remember that this is not my thoughts or opinions, just my notes.

Registered Dietitian and IBD
- discussion on diet types of Crohn's and Colitis diets
- be weary of any that claim to "cure" you because if that was the case they would put of all their patients on it :)
- she discussed 3 main diets that she has seen in clinic and the risks of those diets: Self Healing diet, Breaking the Vicious Cycle, and Pain Free in 1 Day

1) Self Healing Diet: this is a vegan diet with fasting and food combining. Theory is meat causes IBD. You can only eat fruit and veggies in raw state or in juice form (via juicer), and some nuts. Really at risk for missed nutrients and reduced protein intake. To get adequate intake, one would have to eat 8 cups of fruit and veggies and 2 cups of almonds in a day. Fasting days required. No meat at all. Very difficult diet. Not recommended.

2) Breaking the vicious Cycle (simple carb diet): avoid complex carbs on this diet as theory is complex carbs increase inflammation. Can eat fresh only, no processed, no dairy except for homemade yogurt, no grains, some beans, some fish. Risk - decreased carb intake. Which is not good as carbs required for brain health/mental health. This diet can work if you watch carefully to make sure you get adequate carb intake.

3) Pain Free in 1 Day: looks at combining certain foods at certain times. For example, never have carbs with protein. Then you have to wait certain time periods between certain foods. For example, can't eat for 4 hours after eating meat/protein. Works on theory that certain foods require acid environment and certain foods require alkaline. This goes against how actual GI tract works as all foods hit acid in stomach. This diet is okay if you want to follow but be careful that you don't have reduced intake because of wait times between foods.

In short: there are many diets out there but there is no one IBD diet. The above are examples of extreme to okay. Basically the dietitian stated that you should follow the food guide set by your country. Be careful of diets you find on the internet and the ones above. Always discuss with your doctor/healthcare team.

In general, the following seem to be common in IBD:

1) Lactose intolerance (10 to 20% of IBD patients) Increased risk of this if you have small bowel CD vs UC. Most IBD patients will have a temporary lactose intolerance during a flare.

2) Gluten free: currently no research proving it shows improvement in IBD population. In general population, 1-2% have this. In IBD 5% have celiac on top of IBD.

3) Low Fiber

So just try and find a balanced diet. Avoid triggers (acid, fat, caffeine, red meat, fiber, milk are common ones). But do experiment so that you can try and enjoy food again.
 
CCFC Part 2 (interesting facts)

- IBD is 3 times more common then MS and HIV and as common as epilepsy
- Highest amount of IBD in the world is in Canada (with Alberta having the highest - yikes where I live!)
- In Canada, 9200 new cases per year. In Alberta, 4 new cases diagnosed each day.
- Cost of IBD in Canada (doctor visits, meds, procedures, missed time at work) in 2008 was 1.8 Billion dollars
- Cost of certain meds in Canada
1) 5 ASA (asacol) - 1000-2000/yr
2) Imuran - 700/yr
3) Cortenema (steroid foam enema) - 100 every 2 weeks
4) Anti TNF (humira, remi) 20, 000 to 30, 000/yr

I found this very interesting!

- there is more bacteria in your GI tract then there are people on earth!
- there is more bacteria then there are cells that make up you (your body)

Amount of cells in human body is 10 to the power of 12
Amount of bacteria in GI tract is 10 to the power of 13

Oh, and bacteria in GI tract is not actually floating around. It makes a biofilm (like green slug on boats) and coats the GI tract to try and protect it.
 
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CCFC Part 3 (IBD overview)

Now, I know that many of you this may not be new information but I decided to add it in since some of us are undiagnosed (me included).

- more then half of us with IBD have extra-intestinal symptoms like arthritis, eye pain, liver issues.
- patients diagnosed with moderate to severe CD have an increased risk of death similar to that of a moderate smoker (I thought that was very interesting)
- In Canada, most cases are in BC, AB, SK, MB for CD. UC does not follow this as it is more random.
- Current research suggests that IBD starting up in someone is caused by 3 different factors: genetics, luminal antigens (antigens in the lumen of the GI tract), and environmental factors. You usually need 2 out of the 3 to trigger the CD/UC in you.
- Environmental factors that have been identified are: bacteria in the lumen that shouldn't be there, bacteria in the lumen that is normally there, use of NSAIDS, stress, food triggers, smoking, antibiotics.

UC
- superficial inflammation (does not penetrate deep)
- 80% plus will have bloody D
- false urges common

CD
- inflammation starts in deeper layers first and works its way out (towards lumen and towards outside of intestine). That is why you get fistulas (who knew??)
- Can take on average 2 years to make a diagnosis of CD (what??)

Common tests used
- colonoscopy with bx
- CT
- SBFT (CD)
- barium enema (UC usually) never go for this though (speaking from personal experience)
- stool cultures
- bloodwork

Now I asked the doc why sometimes CRP or sed rate is not always increased when you are in flare. She said that it usually means that the inflammation is not systemic or it can also mean that the antigens that are causing the inflammation in you may actually be antigens they have not identified yet and thus do not have bloodwork/markers that they can order to track. She said that it is always best to listen to what the patient is saying rather then what they look like on paper!!!

So I am done with what I wanted to share from my day. Please let me know if this was at all useful. Thanks!!! :rosette2:
 

Crohn's 35

Inactive Account
I saw the symposium too our Holistic dr mentions most of this stuff but I am going to get a blood test done from her to learn of my "personal" food intolerances. Now I am on low residue but have a flare going on and trying to get in to see the new Gi here. :yfaint:
 
It's run by our association for research in CD/UC. They said that the UK (Europe) has similar numbers of IBD but Canada is the most. I guess Japan and the tropics are the least. I bet there were 100 people plus at the education thing in Edmonton yesterday. She said if this was Japan there would be one person interested in coming.
 

David

Co-Founder
Location
Naples, Florida
I hope you don't mind too much Denise, but I merged the three threads into one so it's easier to follow.

Thank you for sharing all of this!
 
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