Diet in colonic diverticulosis: Is it useful?

Abstract

Diverticulosis of the colon is the most common anatomic alteration of the human colon. Diet may be important in the management of diverticular disease (DD). It is known that high-fiber diet does not prevent diverticulosis, and there are conflicting data on the prevention and treatment of DD and acute diverticuli- tis. No association has been reported between nut, corn, or popcorn consumption and the development of diverticulosis, DD, and acute diverticulitis. However, there seems to be a mild association between high alcohol intake and diverticulosis, whereas alcohol dependence seems to be related to a lower risk of in-hospital mortality due to acute diverticulitis. Higher consumption of red meat was associated with a mild increase in the risk of acute diverticulitis, especially when consumed as unprocessed red meat (defined as consumption of “beef or lamb as main dish,” “pork as main dish,” “hamburger,” and “beef, pork or lamb as a sandwich or mixed dish”). On the other hand, higher consumption of poultry (white meat) was not associated with the risk of acute diverticulitis. Finally, higher fish intake was associated with a reduced risk of diverticulitis in an age-adjusted model but not after adjustment for other potential confounders.