Diverticular Disease: Nutritional Considerations

Researchers have been studying nutritional steps that can help prevent or treat diverticular disease. The following steps are under study:

• High dietary fiber intake: Fiber–poor diets appear to be the primary cause of diverticular disease. Individuals who eat generous amounts of insoluble fiber have 40 percent lower risk of diverticular disease, compared to those consuming little dietary fiber. Good sources of insoluble fiber include wheat bran, legumes, skin of fruit, nuts, and seeds.
• A meat–free diet: Not surprisingly, meat–eaters have a much higher incidence of diverticular disease (33 percent) compared with vegetarians (12 percent). Eating a diet low in fiber and high in meat increases the risk for symptomatic diverticular disease more than threefold. Furthermore, in patients who eat the largest amount of meat, the risk for diverticulosis of the right side of the colon may be as high as 25 times greater than patients who eat the least.
  
• An active lifestyle: High levels of physical activity may have a protective effect against diverticular disease. Constipation, which is a known risk factor for diverticulitis, is related to inactivity. While moderate physical activity has little protective effect, more intense activity, such as jogging or running, appears to reduce risk by about 40 percent.