New Research Suggests That High Fish Intake During Toddlerhood Is Linked With A 25% Lower Risk Of Developing Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) And A 54% Lower Risk Of Ulcerative Colitis
Eating a nutritious diet during toddlerhood can reduce the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by 25%, according to a new study conducted by researchers in Sweden. They believe that what children eat at around 1 year old could be key in avoiding conditions like IBD.
With a worldwide increase in IBD cases, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, doctors are thinking about suggesting specific diets for babies as a preventive measure.
This comes as changes in eating habits are suspected to play a role in these illnesses by affecting the gut microbiome.
Prior studies mainly examined the link between diet and the risk of IBD in adults, often overlooking the dietary impact during early childhood.
However, this Scandinavian research team utilized data from two significant studies: the All Babies in Southeast Sweden study (ABIS) and The Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa).
ABIS covered 21,700 children born between October 1997 and October 1999. In contrast, MoBa involved 114,500 children and their parents– a total of 95,200 moms and 75,200 dads– gathered from various locations in Norway from 1999 to 2008.
Parents reported their children’s eating habits when they were between 12 and 18 months old and 30 to 36 months old.
To assess the quality of their diet, a scoring system was used, which considered the intake of various foods such as meat, fish, fruits, and dairy products, as well as the consumption of sweets, snacks, and beverages.
“Higher diet quality– a higher intake of vegetables, fruit, and fish, and a lower intake of meat, sweets, snacks, and drinks– was reflected in a higher score,” detailed Dr. Annie Guo of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.
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“The total score was divided into thirds to indicate a low, medium, or high-quality diet.”
During the course of the study, 307 children were identified as having IBD. On average, children in the ABIS group were diagnosed at age 17; meanwhile, those in the MoBa group were typically diagnosed at age 12.
According to Dr. Guo, diets of medium and high quality at 1 year old were linked to a 25% reduced risk of developing IBD in comparison to a low-quality diet at this age.
The team also took into account various factors like parental IBD history, the child’s gender, ethnic background, education, mother’s education, and health conditions.
Notably, a high fish intake at 1 year old correlated with a decreased overall risk of IBD and, specifically, a 54% lower risk of ulcerative colitis compared to low fish consumption. Conversely, drinking sugar-sweetened beverages was tied to a 42% increased risk of IBD.
The team noted that, apart from fish, no other food groups showed a significant correlation with IBD risk. By the time the children reached 3 years old, only a high intake of fish continued to be significantly linked with a lower risk of IBD.
“The findings remained unchanged after accounting for household income and the child’s formula intake and antibiotic use by the age of one,” Dr. Guo added.
“These findings, while not conclusively casual, align with the hypothesis that early-life diet, potentially through changes in the gut microbiome, may influence the risk of developing IBD.”
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in Gut, visit the link here.
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