Seeds, Nuts Might Not Lead to Diverticulosis
Researcher urges reconsideration of conventional recommendations
(HealthDay News) -- People who have diverticular disease have long been told to avoid eating popcorn, nuts, seeds and corn to avoid the painful attacks the common digestive disorder causes.
But the findings of a study of more than 47,000 men challenges the conventional wisdom.
"We found, contrary to current recommendations, that actually, consumption of these foods did not increase the risk of diverticulitis or diverticular bleeding, and didn't appear to increase the risk of developing diverticulosis or its complications," Dr. Lisa Strate, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the study's lead author, told HealthDay.
Diverticulosis occurs when pouches -- called diverticula -- form in the colon. These pouches can become packed with stool or bacteria. Diverticulitis occurs when the pouches become inflamed, leading to such unpleasant symptoms as bleeding, infection or a digestive system blockage.
According to the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the most common symptom of diverticulitis is abdominal pain. Usually, the pain is severe and comes on suddenly. A person might experience cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills or a change in bowel habits.
And though the cause of the disorder isn't known, what is known is that lots of people have it.
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, one-third of Americans have diverticulosis by the time they are 60. By the time people celebrate their 85th birthday, two-thirds of people have it.
For many years, doctors have told patients to avoid nuts, seeds, popcorn and corn because they thought these foods would become lodged in the pouches, though actual proof of that has been lacking. At the same time, the institute has advised people to eat more fiber -- which these foods provide -- as it keeps stool soft and lowers pressure inside the colon so that bowel contents can move through easily.
Strate's study used data from the long-running Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which focused on a group of men who were 40 to 75 years old. She and her colleagues looked at medical records every two years and dietary information every four years.
At the beginning of the study, none of the men had diverticulosis or complications. But 18 years later, 801 had experienced diverticulitis, and 383 had diverticular bleeding.
When the researchers compared men with the highest intake of foods such as nuts with those with the lowest, they found that men who ate the most nuts were actually 20 percent less likely to get diverticulitis than those who ate the least. And men who ate the most popcorn were 28 percent less likely to get diverticulitis than those eating the least. No link for corn was found.
Strate thinks that the long-standing dietary recommendations should be reconsidered, but she cautioned that hers was just one study. She also believes the findings would probably apply to women, too.
(HealthDay News) -- People who have diverticular disease have long been told to avoid eating popcorn, nuts, seeds and corn to avoid the painful attacks the common digestive disorder causes.