Role of Dietary Habits in the Prevention of Diverticular Disease Complications: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Recent evidence showed that dietary habits play a role as risk factors for the development of diverticular complications. This systematic review aims to assess the effect of dietary habits in the prevention of diverticula complications (i.e., acute diverticulitis and diverticula bleeding) in patients with diverticula disease. PubMed and Scopus databases were searched up to 19 January 2021, 330 records were identified, and 8 articles met the eligibility criteria and were subjected to data extraction. The quality of the studies was evaluated by the Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment form. No study meets the criteria for being a high-quality study. A high intake of fiber was associated to a decreased risk of diverticulitis or hospitalization due to diverticular disease, with a protective effect for fruits and cereal fiber, but not for vegetable fiber; whereas, a high red meat consumption and a generally Western dietary pattern were associated with an increased risk of diverticulitis. Alcohol use seemed to be associated to diverticular bleeding, but not to recurrent diverticulitis or diverticular complications. Further high-quality studies are needed to better define these associations. It is mandatory to ascertain the role of dietary habits for the development of recurrent acute diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding.

Healthy dietary patterns and the risk of individual chronic diseases in community-dwelling adults

“…AEDII and HPDI dietary scores were inversely associated with the risk of all five gastrointestinal diseases including dyspepsia, treated constipation, diverticular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. Although the association between dietary scores and the incidence of gastrointestinal diseases has not been reported in previous studies, components of dietary indices such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and red meat have been linked to gastrointestinal diseases [40][41][42][43] . Evidence suggests adherence to healthy dietary patterns may help promote the composition of the microbiota and reduce inflammation and oxidative stress 44,45 , which is associated with a lower risk of gastrointestinal diseases 40 .…”

Desvendando a etiologia, fisiopatologia, padrões epidemiológicos e estratégias avançadas no tratamento da diverticulite aguda

“…Com relação ao tratamento da diverticulite na fase aguda e não complicada, é importante a necessidade de uma dieta líquida clara, uma vez que há relatos de pacientes apresentando maior conforto com essa abordagem, aliviando os sintomas de anorexia e mal-estar (DUBOSE;SEEHUSEN;MARILIA CARABOTTI et al, 2021). Outro ponto importante na abordagem da diverticulite aguda não complicada é o uso de antibiótico em pacientes que têm comorbidades e que apresentam sintomas refratários, PCR > 140mg/dl ou contagem basal de leucócitos maior que 15X10^9 células por litro ou, ainda, com coleção de líquido (PEERY; SHAUKAT; STRATE, 2021).…”

Nutrition Therapies for Diverticulitis Related to Alcohol Abuse: A Case Report

“…Diverticulitis may be accompanied by abscess formation, bowel obstruction, and segmental colitis (Nallapeta et al, 2022) and may include symptoms of nausea, vomiting, constipation, atulence, and bloating (Carr & Velasco, 2022). Risk factors include age and diet (Carabotti et al, 2021;Carr & Velasco, 2022;Tseng et al, 2022). A common diet association that increases incidence is alcohol abuse (Carabotti et al, 2021;Sharara et al, 2013;Tseng et al, 2022), and alcoholism can be associated with the development of gastrointestinal diseases including diverticulitis, increasing risk by more than three fold (Tseng et al, 2022).…”

“…Risk factors include age and diet (Carabotti et al, 2021;Carr & Velasco, 2022;Tseng et al, 2022). A common diet association that increases incidence is alcohol abuse (Carabotti et al, 2021;Sharara et al, 2013;Tseng et al, 2022), and alcoholism can be associated with the development of gastrointestinal diseases including diverticulitis, increasing risk by more than three fold (Tseng et al, 2022). Individuals presenting in a nutrition practice with diverticulitis should be evaluated for excessive alcohol consumption and concomitant risk factors such as a history of psychosocial trauma.…”