Dietary Patterns and Food Choices of Adults With Inflammatory Bowel Disease in New Zealand.

AIMS: This study aimed to assess current dietary patterns in adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in New Zealand and to evaluate associations with current self-reported disease activity and well-being. METHODS: A prospective online survey was conducted using validated dietary data collection instruments. Dietary patterns were derived using principal component analysis. Self-reported current disease activity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores were ascertained. Relationships between diet patterns and other variables were assessed. RESULTS: The responses of 205 participants were included in the analysis: mean age 43.0 (±14.0) years, and a mean disease duration of 31.5 (±14.0) years. There were 107 (52%) people with Crohn's disease (CD) and 98 (48%) with ulcerative colitis/IBD-unclassified (UC/IBDU). Six dietary patterns were identified among the cohort data: Western, vegetarian, pescatarian, semi-vegetarian, semi-pescatarian, and low-carbohydrate. Consuming a Western dietary pattern was associated with active CD (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 4.55, 95% CI [1.27, 7.26], p = 0.02) or active UC/IBDU (AOR = 3.50, 95% CI [1.07, 5.40], p = 0.04). In contrast, people with CD following a vegetarian diet pattern were less likely to report active disease (AOR = 0.32, 95% CI [0.11, 0.98], p = 0.04). Adherence to a Western or semi-pescatarian dietary pattern was predictive of worse HRQoL. CONCLUSIONS: In this group of adults with IBD, vegetarian dietary patterns were associated with lower current CD activity but not UC/IBDU, while the Western dietary pattern was associated with higher disease activity and impaired HRQoL.