VIDEO: Understanding the underlying causes of ulcerative colitis

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We know that the chronic inflammation in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis, is a result of genetic predisposition and a dysregulated gut immune system and gut microbiome. But in recent years we are really seeing an increase in the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease, really all around the world, in the U.S. but also in recently industrialized countries.

This rise in the number of people with ulcerative colitis really coincides with the westernization of lifestyle and diet. Now we have many animal studies and human core studies that have looked at the role of diet as a potential factor for ulcerative colitis, for developing ulcerative colitis. What is a westernized diet? It’s a diet that is high in simple sugar, in animal fat and low in fiber. It’s also a diet that’s very rich in processed food, where we’re eating a lot of processed food, junk food and all that kind of food has emulsifiers, additives and food coloring.

And all these diet components are actually either directly triggering the gut immune response and causing inflammation, or they are altering the composition of the gut microbiome. And dysbiosis in turn is causing mucosal immune response and inflammation. So again, there’s a big interest now in looking at diet and what we eat and how we live as a potential factor in developing ulcerative colitis and inflammatory bowel disease in general.