Crohn’s Disease is a chronic inflammation of the digestive track.

The digestive track covers the following:
•    Mouth
•    Esophagus
•    Stomach
•    Small Intestine
•    Large Intestine
•    Rectum
•    Anus

Crohn’s can affect any of those areas, but most commonly attacks the ileum or the lower small intestine. The swelling of the affected area will cause pain and diarrhea.

Statistics
Crohn’s can be found in both men and women. It may run in families, 20% of people diagnosed with the disease have a blood relative with some form of inflammatory bowel disease. It is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 to 30, although people of all ages can suffer from Crohn’s. People of Jewish heritage have a greater risk of developing the disease while people of African American heritage have less of a risk.

Prevalance of Crohn’s disease: 500,000 Americans

Prevalance Rate: approx 1 in 544 or 0.18% or 500,000 people in

Hospitalization statistics for Crohn’s disease: The following are statistics from various sources about hospitalizations and Crohn’s disease:
•    0.17% (21,634) of hospital consultant episodes were for crohn’s disease in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    82% of hospital consultant episodes for crohn’s disease required hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    42% of hospital consultant episodes for crohn’s disease were for men in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    58% of hospital consultant episodes for crohn’s disease were for women in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    35% of hospital consultant episodes for crohn’s disease required emergency hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    9.6 days was the mean length of stay in hospitals for crohn’s disease in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    6 days was the median length of stay in hospitals for crohn’s disease in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    39 was the mean age of patients hospitalised for crohn’s disease in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    78% of hospital consultant episodes for crohn’s disease occurred in 15-59 year olds in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    5% of hospital consultant episodes for crohn’s disease occurred in people over 75 in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    36% of hospital consultant episodes for crohn’s disease were single day episodes in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
•    0.18% (93,538) of hospital bed days were for crohn’s disease in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)

In the early 1900’s, the disease we call today “Crohn’s disease” was characterized as an infectious disease, specifically intestinal tuberculosis. However, by the early 1930’s, definitive classification (proof) that this disease was infectious was not forthcoming. More specifically, when Dr. Burrill B. Crohn failed to prove an infectious cause in 1932, the disease became formally known as “Crohn’s disease” (named after Dr. Crohn) and the search for an infectious cause was largely discontinued.

As a result, Crohn’s disease research has for many years been almost exclusively concentrated in “immunology” – and finding ways to “calm the overactive immune system” in Crohn’s patients – immune systems which were overactive due to “no known cause.”

Research Beginning in the 1980’s
Nevertheless, beginning in the 1980’s, a small core of highly regarded and dedicated researchers in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and other countries valiantly began again – in the face of contrary opinion in the medical community, and despite low-level to nonexistent funding – the search for an infectious cause for Crohn’s disease.

Over the intervening years this small core of researchers has slowly grown, and despite all obstacles has continued to painstakingly and relentlessly amass scientific evidence that suggests an etiological connection between Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), and Crohn’s disease. On behalf of Crohn’s patients everywhere, PARA highly commends and offers a heartfelt “Thank You” to the dedicated researchers who, in the 1980’s, valiantly began again, and have henceforth, with slowly growing ranks, relentlessly continued the search for an infectious cause of Crohn’s disease.

Current Research – National Institutes of Health (NIH)
On December 14 1998, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) hosted a workshop entitled “Crohn’s Disease:- Is there a microbial etiology? Recommendations for a research agenda.”

The workshop brought together researchers from multiple disciplines, including, but not limited to, mycobacteriology, molecular biology, immunology, gastroenterology, and veterinary medicine, etc., to discuss a potential infectious cause for Crohn’s disease. As the culmination of workshop deliberations and on-going NIAID research and efforts, in May 1999, the NIAID published a highly significant historical document – a comprehensive document setting forth an entirely new research agenda to place the search for an infectious cause for Crohn’s disease at the forefront of Crohn’s research, and to set forth the critical and rigorous research necessary to determine the relationship between Crohn’s disease and microbial infection, in particular infection with the bacterium Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP).

The NIAID’s historic “Research Recommendations” document has been reproduced in its entirety on this web site. Please read it on the page entitled NIAID Research Agenda. In mid 2002 NIAID funded the first significant research in the United States, targeting MAP as a cause of Crohn’s disease.  At this same time National Institute of Diabetes Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) also stepped to the plate to fund Crohn’s disease/MAP research.

For further information on NIH efforts, visit PARA’s Report – “PARA’s Efforts Benefits Crohn’s Sufferers.”PARA commends the NIH for significant efforts to determine the cause of Crohn’s disease.

The role of diet and nutrition is very significant in Crohn’s disease. A proper diet is important in addition to medical therapies for maintaining and correcting any nutritional deficiencies and for reducing disease activity. Just like everyone else, people with Crohn’s disease need to take in enough protein, calories, vitamins, minerals such as calcium, iron, and zinc, and other nutrients to stay healthy.

People with Crohn’s may have increased nutritional requirements to make up for the nutrients they lose. Generally, the patient is advised to have a nutritious, well-balanced diet, with adequate proteins and calories. Crohn’s disease is a tough condition to deal with and to add to your frustrations you may have to do away with your favorite dishes if your doctor advises so.

Some Crohn’s disease friendly recipes that patients may try out include banana bread, lactose free pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, soy cheese and macaroni, banana muffins, mashed potato and meat casserole, almond crusted chicken, barbequed chicken, chicken sausage, roasted chicken, pot roast, butternut squash soup, grilled turkey breast, microwave broccoli, oven French fries and raspberry ring.

You can come across delicious, easy to prepare low-fiber and non-dairy recipes for those with Crohn’s disease in most magazines as well as the Internet. There are no foods known to essentially injure the bowel. However, during an acute stage of the Crohn’s disease, bulky foods, milk, and milk products may add to diarrhea and cramping. Diet may have to be restricted based on the symptoms or complications.

Patients with strictures should try to avoid recipes high in fiber content. Patients should keep away from recipes that they know would bother them and seek specific recommendations from their physician. Instead of eating heavy meals, patients should eat small meals throughout the day. Many nutrition counselors recommend that patients with Crohn’s disease eat five or six half-sized meals a day.

This should be done evenly at regular intervals and probably the last meal should be consumed at least three hours prior to bedtime. In addition to eating sufficiently, you also need to drink adequate fluids to keep your body well hydrated. ) is a strict grain-free, lactose-free, and sucrose-free dietary regimen intended for those suffering from Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (both forms of IBD), celiac disease, IBS, cystic fibrosis, and autism. It is based on the work of Elaine Gottschall, who wrote Breaking the Vicious Cycle, which introduces the SCD and explains the importance of eliminating certain carbohydrates in order to alleviate digestive ailments such as IBD, IBS, and celiac disease.

For those suffering from gastrointestinal illnesses, the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) offers a method for easing symptoms and pain, and ultimately regaining health. Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet™ offers a diverse and delicious collection of 150 SCD-friendly recipes. The easy-to-make and culturally diverse recipes featured in the book, include breakfast dishes, appetizers, main dishes, and desserts such as — Hazelnut-Vanilla Pancakes, Olive Sandwich Bread, Chicken Satay, Roasted Bass with Parsley Butter, Thin Crust Pizza, Gretel’s Gingerbread Cookies, Mango Ice Cream, among others. It is accompanied by 40 full-color photos that will inspire you to get cooking again

Crohn’s disease is a life-long illness. The severity of the disease can vary, and a patient can experience periods of time when the disease is not active and he or she is symptom free. However, the complications and risks of Crohn’s disease tend to increase over time. Well over 60% of all patients with Crohn’s disease will require surgery, and about half of these patients will require more than one operation over time. About 5-10% of all Crohn’s patients will die of their disease, primarily due to massive infection.

Endoscope
A medical instrument that can be passed into an area of the body (the bladder or intestine, for example) to allow examination of that area. The endoscope usually has a fiber-optic camera that allows a greatly magnified image to be shown on a television screen viewed by the operator. Many endoscopes also allow the operator to retrieve a small sample (biopsy) of the area being examined, to more closely view the tissue under a microscope.

Fistule
An abnormal channel that creates an open passageway between two structures that do not normally connect.

Gastrointestinal tract
The entire length of the digestive system, running from the stomach, through the small intestine, large intestine, and out the rectum and anus.

Immune system
The body system responsible for producing various cells and chemicals that fight infection by viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other foreign invaders. In autoimmune disease, these cells and chemicals turn against the body itself.

Inflammation
The result of the body’s attempts to fight off and wall off an area that is infected. Inflammation results in the classic signs of redness, heat, swelling, and loss of function.

Obstruction
A blockage.

Ulceration
A pitted area or break in the continuity of a surface such as skin or mucous membrane.

Some people have long periods of remission, sometimes years, when they are free of symptoms. However, the disease usually recurs at various times over a person’s lifetime. This changing pattern of the disease means one cannot always tell when a treatment has helped. Predicting when a remission may occur or when symptoms will return is not possible.)

People with Crohn’s disease may feel well and be free of symptoms for substantial spans of time when their disease is not active. Despite the need to take medication for long periods of time and occasional hospitalizations, most people with Crohn’s disease are able to hold jobs, raise families, and function successfully at home and in society

Probiotics in the Treatment of Crohn’s Disease
Alterations in the bacterial milieu of the gut are common in Crohns disease. The use of various probiotic bacteria to promote a balance of appropriate intestinal flora has yielded mixed results. Mechanisms associated with the beneficial effects of probiotic therapy in Crohn’s Disease include:

(1) inhibition of pathogenic bacteria via growth suppression or epithelial binding
(2)  improved epithelial and mucosal barrier function; and
(3) altered immuno-regulation via stimulation of secretory IgA or reduction in TNF-alpha.

Saccharomyces boulardii
Plein et al demonstrated the efficacy of Saccharomyces boulardii (Sb) in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 20 Crohn’s Disease patients. Patients were given 250 mg Sb three times daily for 10 weeks and evaluated via bowel movement frequency and the CDAI index. Patients receiving Sb experienced a significant reduction in frequency of bowel movements (from 5.0 to 3.3 per day) and CDAI index (193 to 107) by week 10 of treatment.

Another study utilizing Saccharomyces boulardii therapy in 32 Crohn’s Disease patients demonstrated a significant benefit of a combination of Saccharomyces boulardii and mesalamine compared to mesalamine alone. Relapse in the mesalamine-only group was 37.5 percent at six months compared to only 6.25 percent in the mesalamine-plus Saccharomyces boulardii group.

E. coli (Nissle strain)
Pathogenic E. coli that adhere to and invade intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) have been isolated from ileal lesions of Crohns patients. Boudeau et al demonstrated the in vitro ability of a non-pathogenic E. coli strain (Nissle 1917) to prevent pathogenic E. coli strains from adhering to and invading IEC. When IEC were co-infected with probiotic Nissle strain and pathogenic E. coli, the Nissle strain exhibited a dose- and time-dependent adhesion to IEC, which prevented adhesion of various pathogenic E. coli strains by 78.0- 99.9 percent.

When IEC were pre-incubated with Nissle strain E. coli and pathogenic strains were added later, adhesion and invasion of pathogenic strains was inhibited by 97.2-99.9 percent. Malchow et al conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial investigating the efficacy of E. coli Nissle strain 1917 for inducing and maintaining remission in 28 patients with colonic Crohns disease.

Patients were randomized to either 60 mg prednisolone daily (with a standard tapering schedule) plus twice daily doses of 2.5 x1010 probiotic Nissle strain E. coli (treatment group) or identical prednisolone therapy plus placebo (placebo group). The rate at which remission was achieved was comparable in both groups (85.7% for treatment patients versus 91.7% for placebo patients), but only 33.3 percent of patients in the E. coli treatment group relapsed at one year, compared to 63.6 percent in the placebo group.

Lactobacillus GG
Malin et al investigated the effect of oral Lactobacillus GG on the intestinal immunological barrier in a small study of 14 children with CD and seven control patients (hospitalized for investigation of abdominal pain but with no evidence of intestinal disease). Lactobacillus GG was administered to patients and controls at 1010 colony forming units mixed in liquid twice daily. Lactobacillus GG therapy significantly increased the IgA immune response in Crohns patients compared to controls, resulting in an improved mucosal barrier.

Another study of Lactobacillus GG demonstrated that administration in children with mildto- moderate stable Crohn’s Disease improved gut barrier function and clinical status after six months of therapy.228 However, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 45 post-surgery Crohns patients given Lactobacillus GG for one year did not show it to be more effective than placebo in preventing disease recurrence.229

Until now, treatment for Crohn’s has relied on surgery and anti-inflammatory and other drugs also used to treat other conditions. In August 1998, the Food and Drug Administration licensed the first treatment specifically for Crohn’s disease, an incurable and sometimes debilitating inflammation of the bowel.

Remicade (infliximab) is a genetically engineered antibody that blocks inflammation caused by a protein called tumor necrosis factor. After clinical trials showed benefit from Remicade treatment within a two-to-four week period following a single dose, FDA approved the drug for patients with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease who have not found relief with other treatments. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Humira (adalimumab) to treat adult patients with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines, which affects an estimated one million Americans. Humira is a human-derived, genetically-engineered monoclonal antibody (a protein that can be produced in large quantities in a manufacturing plant). The product acts to reduce excessive levels of human tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha, which plays an important role in abnormal inflammatory and immune responses.

The labeling includes a boxed warning about potential serious adverse events. Crohn’s disease is a chronic, incurable, inflammatory bowel disease that causes diarrhea, cramping and abdominal pain, and in some cases, abnormal connections (fistulas) leading from the intestine to the skin. “Humira has been shown to reduce signs and symptoms, and to induce and maintain clinical remission of Crohn’s disease in patients who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy, and in those patients who did not benefit from treatment, or who were intolerant to previous treatment with Remicade (infliximab) therapy,” said Dr. Douglas Throckmorton, Deputy Director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Today’s approval provides patients and their health care providers with a new treatment option.”

The product has been studied in 1,478 patients with Crohn’s disease in four clinical trials comparing the drug to a placebo (contains no active ingredient) and two longer term extension studies. The labeling of Humira includes a boxed warning, the strongest type of label warning, that use of this product has been associated with serious, sometimes fatal, infections, including cases of tuberculosis, opportunistic infections, and sepsis.

Before initiating Humira treatment, patients should be evaluated for tuberculosis risk factors and tested for latent tuberculosis infection. Other serious adverse events reported by Humira users include lymphoma, a type of cancer. The most frequent adverse events included upper respiratory infections, sinusitis, and nausea. Humira requires subcutaneous injections (under the skin) to initiate treatment for Crohn’s disease, and maintenance treatment is administered as one injection every other week.

Humira was previously approved for the treatment of three autoimmune diseases: rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammation of the joints; psoriatic arthritis, which causes joint swelling and scaly skin; and ankylosing spondylitis, a systemic rheumatic disease that affects the spine and sacroiliac joints. Humira is manufactured by Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, Ill.

Treatment for Crohn’s disease depends on its location and severity, the presence of complications and the patient’s response to medications. The goal of treatment is to reduce the inflammation that triggers symptoms. Treatment relieves symptoms and results in long-term remission.

Treatment for Crohn’s disease usually involves medication and/or surgery.Drug therapies must be custom-designed for each patient. Finding which medications best alleviate the symptoms may take time. When a patient with Crohn’s disease undergoes surgery, it is important that the health care team (including the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and the primary treating physician) know which medications the patient is taking. Many patients with mild to moderate disease are treated with medications containing mesalamine.

These medications differ based on what parts of the bowel are treated. The use of mesalamine to treat Crohn’s disease, either to achieve or maintain remission, is sometimes controversial because not all studies have consistently shown that mesalamine is effective for Crohn’s disease. Mesalamine is usually well-tolerated and has no serious side effects. Patients may experience nausea, headache and diarrhea.

Some patients who have severe active disease or do not respond to mesalamine therapy may need corticosteroids such as prednisone to control inflammation and induce remission. These drugs are effective but have significant side effects, such as increased susceptibility to infection, mood swings, anxiety, depression, elevated blood pressure, glaucoma, cataracts and osteoporosis.

Physicians may use different strategies to administer these drugs in order to reduce side effects. Budesonide is a corticosteroid that is rapidly broken down by the liver, resulting in a much lower frequency of side effects. These medications are gradually reduced once remission is achieved — and mesalamine or a drug that suppresses the immune system is used to maintain remission.Antibiotics such as metronidazole are sometimes used to treat Crohn’s disease.

They are particularly helpful in patients with fistulas and are often combined with other medications. The use of metronidazole to treat active Crohn’s disease or to delay the recurrence of Crohn’s for the first two to three years after an ileum resection surgery is often controversial because not all studies have consistently shown that metronidazole and other antibiotics are effective in these patient groups.

Metronidazole can be effective in managing perineal Crohn’s disease (involving the pelvic area). Many patients require surgery because medical therapy does not control their symptoms or because complications such as blockage, abscess, perforation or bleeding into the intestines have developed

In this cohort, there were 167 men and 227 women diagnosed between 1934 and 1984, with a median year of diagnosis of 1975. The median follow-up time for patients who died was 15 years (mean = 15.84 years) and for those still alive is 27 years (mean = 29.19 years), this overall median follow-up is 24 years with a range of 0–58 years (mean = 23.92).

The observed and expected numbers of deaths for men and women in each age group for each quinquenia . The overall SMR for the cohort from 1941 to 2000 was 1.29 (95% CI 1.12–1.45). It was higher in women, 1.43 (95% CI 1.22–1.65) compared with men, 1.13 (95% CI 0.87–1.35) although this difference was not statistically significant . SMR in the total cohort between 1941 and 2000 decreased with age, from 16.95 (95% CI 14.99–18.91) for patients aged 10–19 years, to 0.92 (95% CI 0.65–1.19) in patients aged over 75 years .

The overall SMR for this cohort has decreased over the period of this study, but the change is not statistically significant.

Cox regression was used to analyze trends in mortality according to gender and shows that there is a trend for men with Crohn’s disease to die younger and live for a shorter period following diagnosis than women. They have a 16% (95% CI −2% to 23%) increased mortality at all ages and survival following diagnosis 16% (95% CI −9% to 21%) shorter than women, but this is not statistically significant (P = 0.15) and is not adjusted to take into account the increased mortality seen in men in the general population.

Life table analysis shows that the life expectancy for men diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in this cohort is 77.3 years and 79.0 years for women. Overall life expectancy has not statistically significantly changed over the duration of the study and is not statistically significantly different from the life expectancy of the general population (population median over the study period is 71 for males and 77 for females).

However, Kaplan–Meier analysis of age at death of these patients shows that patients diagnosed under 20 years have a median age at death of 64 years (inter-quartile range 59–70 years), whilst those patients diagnosed over the age of 20 years do not experience reduced life expectancy. Some people may also experience fever, mouth ulcers or nausea and vomiting.

People with Crohn’s disease of the anus can experience pain (especially while passing a bowel motion) or an itch. A few people have disease effecting other parts of the body and may experience swollen joints, inflamed eyes, skin rashes or jaundice (yellow colour of the skin).

The symptoms and their severity vary from person to person and may flare up or improve over time. Many people will experience periods of remission when they are completely free of symptoms. With current medical treatment life expectancy is normal.

In the last quarter century, it has become clear that Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis affect large numbers of children and young teens. Nutritional deficiency is a major issue in treatment of children with Crohn’s disease. Children are growing machines.

Inflammatory bowel disease may not cause great weight loss for youngsters at first, so failure to grow normally or backsliding on height and weight charts should be taken as signs that something is wrong and worth investigating. Children facing Crohn’s disease also have significant self-image issues to deal with.

The disease changes their routines, and its effects may separate them from the normal activities of childhood and adolescence. Therefore, these youngsters need sensitive support from family, friends, and physicians to help them maintain their social, as well as their physical, growth. Crohn’s disease is a serious, chronic disease affecting the digestive system. Chronic means that the disease is long-term and persistent, usually lifelong. Crohn’s disease causes inflammation, most often in the small intestine (which has three parts: duodenum, jejunum, and ileum).

The walls and lining of the affected areas become red and inflamed, leading to ulcers and bleeding. Crohn’s disease sometimes is named by referring to inflammation in the part of the intestine affected, such as jejunoileitis, ileitis, ileocolitis, or colitis (when it involves the large intestine, also called the colon).

Crohn’s disease can appear at any age, but it is most often diagnosed in adults in their 20s and 30s. However, approximately 30% of people with Crohn’s disease develop symptoms before 20 years of age. In the United States, about 100,000 teens and preteens have Crohn’s disease.Along with ulcerative colitis, a similar illness, Crohn’s disease is also called inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD.

Ulcerative colitis attacks only the large intestine in a continuous manner and does not affect the entire thickness of the bowel wall. Crohn’s disease, on the other hand, can occur anywhere in the digestive tract, from mouth to the anus, attacks different sites in the intestine with areas of normal intestine in between (“skip lesions”), and affects the full thickness of the intestinal wall.

Both conditions wax and wane: there are times when symptoms reappear or get worse (exacerbations or “flares”) and other periods when symptoms get better or go away altogether (“remission”).While Crohn’s disease causes many problems for people of all ages, it can present special challenges for children and teens. In addition to bothersome and often painful symptoms, the disease can stunt growth, delay puberty, and weaken the bones. Crohn’s disease symptoms may sometimes prevent a child from participating in enjoyable activities.

The emotional and psychological issues of living with chronic disease can be especially difficult for young people. As many as 70% of children with the disease have inflammation of the lower part of the ileum. More than half of these children also have inflammation in variable segments of the colon.

•    About 10%-20% of children have inflammation in the colon only.
•    Another 10%-15% have inflammation scattered around the small bowel, mainly in the middle section (jejunum and upper ileum).
•    A very small number have inflammation only in the stomach and the uppermost section of the small intestine where the stomach empties into the bowel (duodenum).

For those suffering from Crohns Disease diet and nutrition are of utmost concern. Although there is no evidence to show that the condition is caused by nutritional factors, the food you eat can affect the symptoms of the disorder.

Because inflammatory bowel disease manifests itself differently from patient to patient, and can affect so many different areas of the digestive tract, there is not one specific diet for Crohns Disease that works for everyone. Rather, it is an experimental process whereby the patient determines what foods tend to aggravate the condition, and makes dietary changes based on this determination.

As Crohns is marked by flareups, with good periods and bad periods, the Crohns Disease diet may have to be adjusted accordingly.Some patients follow the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which entails curbing carbs that are difficult to digest. This may offer relief for certain symptoms, but has yet to be supported by clinical evidence.
The best diet for Crohns Disease is a healthy balanced one, including all of the food groups: fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats, whole grains, fats and protein should all be included daily, with those foods that may cause flare-ups eliminated or at least minimized.

One of the major concerns for patients is the strong possibility of malnutrition due to the inability of the impaired small intestine to properly digest and absorb nutrients from the food they eat.So even with a fully-balanced Crohns Disease diet, it is likely that you are not getting the nutrients you need. Add to that the common loss of appetite and the increased energy the body needs to combat the illness and many patients find themselves in a state of severe malnutrition.

This can and will lead to further health complications down the road. That is why many Crohns patients choose to take nutritional supplements to make sure they are getting the vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other important nutrients they may not be getting from their diet for Crohns disease.

High quality supplements can offer a full spectrum of vital ingredients, including B12, folic acid, Vitamin D, magnesium, potassium, trace elements and other specific nutrients that are often lacking in Crohns patients. One of the most complete nutritional supplements we have found is called Total Balance which is manufactured by a highly-regarded natural health company. It contains a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and nutrients in one comprehensive formula.

What separates this supplement from others is that it has an enteric coating which significantly increases the amount of nutrients that can be used by your cells and tissues, unlike others where a large percentage of nutrients get destroyed by stomach acids. Although some patients get adequate nourishment from a complete Crohns Disease diet, supplements are certainly worth consideration to ensure that your body gets what it needs.

As with all nutrition programs, a diet for Crohns Disease should be as well-balanced as possible, and include ample amounts of diverse foods. A nutritionist can offer diet help Crohns Disease patients can use to form the basis of their eating.

They can then tailor the regimen based on their specific needs. It’s important to check with your doctor to determine if supplementation might be right for you. In many cases, poor appetite, poor absorption and increased requirements may make you malnourished, and it might make sense to supplement these important nutrients to complement your Crohns diet.