Fibre is not the answer for diverticulosis prevention

Adapted from A high fiber diet does not protect against asymptomatic diverticulosis by Anne F Peery et al. Gastroenterology Volume 142, Issue 2, February 2012 Pages 266-272.

The complications of diverticulosis cause considerable morbidity in the developed world. Many physicians and patients believe that a high fibre diet and frequent bowel movements are the key to its prevention. We sought to determine whether low fibre or high fat diets that include large quantities of red meat, constiptation or physical inactivity increase the risk for asymptomatic diverticulosis.

We performed a cross sectional study of 2,104 adults aged 30 to 80 who were getting an outpatient colonoscopy from 1998 to 2010. Diet and physical activity were assessed in interviews using validated techniques.

As we expected the numbers of people with diverticulosis increased as they aged. High fibre intake did not reduce the prevalence of diverticulosis. Indeed, those in the highest quartile of fibre intake had more diverticulosis per person than the lowest. Risk increased with increasing amounts of total fibre, fibre from grains, soluble and insoluble fibre. Constipation was also not a risk factor. Those who had more than 15 bowel movements a week had a 70% higher risk compared to those with less than 7 bowel movements a week. Neither physical inactivity or intake of fat or red meat was associated with diverticulosis.

These results indicated that the generally accepted “risk factors” for diverticulosis need to be reconsidered.

For one poor man’s real life experience with this condition read:

http://yelling-stop.blogspot.com/2010/08/diverticulitis-my-story.html

He found that wheat products and seed oils were the main factor and he wishes he had found this out before having a miserable 15 years with gut pain and diarrhea.