Diet and routine stool tests could help predict IBD flares, large study suggests

• A new study notes that higher levels of a routine stool test marker of gut inflammation is strongly associated with an increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) flares, even when people were symptom-free.
• Elevated levels of this marker could predict both symptom-based and clinically confirmed IBD flares up to 2 years before they occurred, highlighting its potential value as an early warning tool.
• Additionally, the findings linked dietary meat intake to a higher risk of ulcerative colitis flares, an association not seen in Crohn’s disease.
• However, other dietary factors were not consistently associated with flare risk, challenging some common assumptions about diet and IBD.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) describes a group of chronic, long-term conditions involving inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, primarily comprising Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

The prevalence of IBD is rising, and current estimates suggest it affects between 2.4 and 3.1 million people in the United States.

An IBD flare occurs when symptoms develop due to active bowel inflammation. However, people may experience an increase in symptoms without necessarily having inflammation. Thus, the condition involves unpredictable periods of remission and debilitating symptom flares.

Research into the role diet plays in IBD flares is complex and strong evidence linking dietary patterns to flare risk has been limited.

Stool tests offer a noninvasive option to help diagnose IBD. Typically, they measure a protein known as calprotectin to indicate gut inflammation and help distinguish from noninflammatory conditions. Levels of this protein can also help monitor disease activity or treatment effectiveness

A new study, published in Gut, suggests that combining stool tests with dietary information could help forecast disease flares months before symptoms appear.

Led by scientists at the University of Edinburgh’s Institute of Genetics and Cancer, the findings offer fresh insights into how biomarkers and lifestyle factors could be used to personalise IBD care.