Dr. Mutlu explains how diet influences the course of inflammatory bowel disease.
Dr. Mutlu:
Well, inflammatory bowel disease has been on the rise over the past 50 years, and this seems to be across the board in many countries, even including some third world countries as well. And even though inflammatory bowel disease requires a genetic background to happen, there has to be some environmental factors that have to account for this rise in this illness.
We think one of the environmental factors that could account for the rise in inflammatory bowel disease could be diet, even though this is not proven. In terms of particular diets that lead to IBD, we know very little, and we are researching it.
About Dr. Mutlu, M.D.:
Dr. Ece A. Mutlu, M.D., is Associate Professor of Medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in gastroenterology and nutrition, and her research interests include diet therapy in inflammatory bowel disease, role of microbiological flora on gastrointestinal illness, role of nutrition in gastrointestinal disease, complementary and alternative medicine for gastrointestinal disease, and antioxidant treatment of radiation proctitis.
Visit Dr. Mutlu at Rush University Medical Center