If you have never heard of the diverticulitis you are not alone as it is quite a mouthful to say. Diverticulitis is the inflammation and infection of the small pouches in your intestines called diverticula. Diverticulosis most commonly begins to present around the age of 40 and over 50% of people over the age of 70 have diverticulosis. The condition can be minor or cause excruciating pain and trauma in your gut. It can cause pain in your abdomen as well as nausea, fever, vomiting, bloating or gas and constipation.
Having these small pouches in your intestines will not cause you harm. The condition of having the pouches is called diverticulosis. It is when these pouches become inflamed and infected that there is reason for concern.
A low fibre diet is predicted to be one of the causes of diverticulitis. Without adequate fibre in your diet promoting a comfortable and frequent stool this puts excessive pressure on your colon. This can cause matter passing through to lodge into the small pouches, get stuck and become infected and inflamed.
Being overweight also puts you at risk of diverticulitis. Fibre helps promote and maintain a healthy body weight as it increases the length of time you feel full. Remember that for fibre to work effectively it needs fluids so remember to drink enough fluids each day, so your urine is a pale yellow rather than a golden yellow.
If you do develop diverticulitis you need to follow a low diet to prevent anymore irritation to the pouches of your intestines but to prevent this unwanted inflammation from occurring, it is important to include enough fibre in your day.
An adult needs 25-30g of dietary fibre each day. By including a variety of different plant foods in each of your meals you will be on your way to achieving this amount. This includes wholegrains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Take home message: Protect your gut from damage, inflammation, and infection by reaching your daily fibre needs each day.
References
- Carabotti M, Annibale B, Severi C, Lahner E. Role of fiber in symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease: a systematic review. Nutrients. 2017;9(2). Epub 2017/02/24. doi: 10.3390/nu9020161. Abstract available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28230737
- Strate LL, Liu YL, Syngal S, Aldoori WH, Giovannucci EL. Nut, corn, and popcorn consumption and the incidence of diverticular disease. JAMA. 2008;300(8):907-14. Abstract available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18728264
- Aune D, Sen A, Leitzmann MF, Norat T, Tonstad S, Vatten LJ. Body mass index and physical activity and the risk of diverticular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Eur J Nutr. 2017 Dec;56(8):2423-38. doi: 10.1007/s00394-017-1443-x. Abstract available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28393286
- Strate LL, Keeley BR, Cao Y, Wu K, Giovannucci EL, Chan AT. Western dietary pattern increases, and prudent dietary pattern decreases, risk of incident diverticulitis in a prospective cohort study. Gastroenterology. 2017;152(5):1023-30 e2. Abstract available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28065788
