Correlation between the Quantity and Type of Dietary Fiber with the Activity in Mexican Patients with Ulcerative Colitis (UC)
Consumption below the current recommendation of total and insoluble dietary fiber is associated with clinical activity of UC, and those with clinically active UC consumed less total fiber and insoluble fiber.
Abstract
Background/Objective: Ingestion of dietary fiber can influence in the remission of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). There are no current recommendations for fiber intake in UC; therefore, we evaluate the association between dietary fiber and the activity of the disease. Methods: Ours is a cross-sectional study in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of UC to whom a 24 h recall was applied; this allowed for the estimation and classification of type of dietary fiber. The patients were divided into two groups: (1) remission and (2) active UC. We analyzed the quantity and type of fiber with the grades of disease activity through Spearman correlation and logistic regression. Results: A total of 152 patients were included; it was found that those with clinically active UC consumed less total fiber (p = 0.016) and insoluble fiber (p = 0.018). Meanwhile, in endoscopic grade, the difference was for insoluble fiber (p = 0.038). Insoluble fiber had an inversely significant correlation with fecal calprotectin levels (r = −0.204; p = 0.018). Logistic regression showed that less than 11 g of insoluble fiber was a risk factor for clinical activity (OR = 2.37; 95% CI 1.107–5.019; p = 0.026). Conclusions: Consumption below the current recommendation of total and insoluble dietary fiber is associated with clinical activity of UC.