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http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/news-160972-66.html
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Research hints that children who don't get the right balance of fatty acids, vegetables and fruits may be at increased risk of developing Crohn's disease -- a debilitating inflammation in the digestive tract, the cause of which remains unclear.
"We found that children who consume more vegetables and fruits were at lower risk," lead researcher Dr. Devendra K. Amre of the University of Montreal told Reuters Health. "There were suggestions for higher risks when higher amounts of fats were consumed."
Amre and colleagues came to this conclusion after taking a look back at 130 young Crohn's disease patients and 202 healthy controls. All of the patients were younger than 20 years, and the average age at diagnosis was 14.2 years.
Children with the highest intake of vegetables, fruits, fish and dietary fiber were significantly protected from Crohn's disease compared with those with the lowest intake of these foods, the researchers report in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
"More interestingly, however," Amre added, "a higher ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids was associated with higher risks -- or a higher ratio of omega-3/omega-6 was associated with protection."
These findings, he said, "are consistent with evidence from some clinical trials... that suggest clinical benefits to patients who have Crohn's disease, on administration of omega-3 fatty acids."
Amre stressed that diet is a complex mix of elements and "various dietary elements interact with each other." With this in mind, "we have followed up this study with a study of dietary patterns. Studying patterns gives a more composite idea on what individuals eat and is probably more amenable to intervention."
Findings from this as yet-unpublished study, he said, "show that specific dietary patterns can protect and others can increase risk for Crohn's disease in children."
SOURCE: American Journal of Gastroenterology, September 2007.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Research hints that children who don't get the right balance of fatty acids, vegetables and fruits may be at increased risk of developing Crohn's disease -- a debilitating inflammation in the digestive tract, the cause of which remains unclear.
"We found that children who consume more vegetables and fruits were at lower risk," lead researcher Dr. Devendra K. Amre of the University of Montreal told Reuters Health. "There were suggestions for higher risks when higher amounts of fats were consumed."
Amre and colleagues came to this conclusion after taking a look back at 130 young Crohn's disease patients and 202 healthy controls. All of the patients were younger than 20 years, and the average age at diagnosis was 14.2 years.
Children with the highest intake of vegetables, fruits, fish and dietary fiber were significantly protected from Crohn's disease compared with those with the lowest intake of these foods, the researchers report in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
"More interestingly, however," Amre added, "a higher ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids was associated with higher risks -- or a higher ratio of omega-3/omega-6 was associated with protection."
These findings, he said, "are consistent with evidence from some clinical trials... that suggest clinical benefits to patients who have Crohn's disease, on administration of omega-3 fatty acids."
Amre stressed that diet is a complex mix of elements and "various dietary elements interact with each other." With this in mind, "we have followed up this study with a study of dietary patterns. Studying patterns gives a more composite idea on what individuals eat and is probably more amenable to intervention."
Findings from this as yet-unpublished study, he said, "show that specific dietary patterns can protect and others can increase risk for Crohn's disease in children."
SOURCE: American Journal of Gastroenterology, September 2007.
