UEA researchers announced this news recently at the Digestive Disease Week conference held in New Orleans. Their findings revealed that people with a diet rich in oleic acid are far less likely to develop ulcerative colitis. Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid found in abundance in olive oil. It is also a component of peanut oil, grapeseed oil and butter.

The research team, led by Dr. Andrew Hart of UEA’s School of Medicine, studied over 25,000 people between the ages of 40 and 65 who lived in Norfolk, in the UK. The research participants were part of the EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Diet and Cancer) study between 1993 and 1997. None of these EPIC participants were diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the beginning of the study. They all kept detailed food diaries which were later studied by nutritionists who analyzed exactly what nutrients and fatty acids the study participants were consuming.

By 2004, 22 of the research subjects had developed ulcerative colitis. When the researchers compared the diets of these people to those who did not develop the disease, they found the study participants with the highest intake of oleic acid had a 90 per cent lower risk of developing ulcerative colitis.

“Oleic acid seems to help prevent the development of ulcerative colitis by blocking chemicals in the bowel that aggravate the inflammation found in this illness,” Dr. Hart said in a statement to the media.“We estimate that around half of the cases of ulcerative colitis could be prevented if larger amounts of oleic acid were consumed. Two-to-three tablespoons of olive oil per day would have a protective effect.”

Additional studies are underway in several countries to further document the potential of oleic acid to prevent colitis, the UEA researchers stated. In addition, they noted that oleic acid should also be assessed in the future as a possible treatment for those already suffering from the disease.

A leaky gut is something that is widely associated with Ulcerative Colitis and many other autoimmune diseases, and there are a number of substances that it may be worth avoiding. These substances are known to increase intestinal permeability and they are –

• Alcohol, adversely affects tight junction characteristics. Tight Junctions are the major barrier within the pathway between intestinal epithelial cells, which line the digestion tract. Disruption of Tight Junctions leads to intestinal hyper-permeability.
• NSAIDS like Aspirin and Ibuprofen, reduce tight junction stability.
• Quillaja is a food additive which is added to fizzy drinks to make them foam. It is a very powerful saponin adjuvant. Saponins degrade the intestinal lining.

So Alcohol is not good news for a leaky gut which will be a disappointing discovery for many of us, but if you give up drinking you probably won’t need the NSAIDS the next morning!

A leaky gut is something that is widely associated with Ulcerative Colitis and many other Autoimmune diseases, and there are a number of foods that it may be worth avoiding in your diet when your symptoms are active. These foods are known to increase intestinal permeability and they are –

• Wheat – The protein Gliadin in Wheat up-regulates a protein called zonulin which adversely affects tight junctions in the gut. Tight Junctions are the major barrier within the pathway between intestinal epithelial cells, that line the digestion tract. Disruption of Tight Junctions leads to intestinal hyper-permeability.

• Hot Peppers, cayenne paprika green peppers, all contain Saponins and Capsaicin which increase gut permeability.

• Beans – Soy, Lentils, Peas, Beans, Peanuts and all legumes, these also contain high levels of Saponins and some legume saponins up-regulate the immune response at the dendritic cell level in the gut thereby promoting autoimmunity.

• Potatoes have two glycoalkyloids which degrade the gut lining and increase leakage of lipopolysachharide from the gut into the circulatory system.

• Green ,unripe tomatoes and cherry tomatoes contain the glycoalkyloid alpha tomatine which increases intestinal permeability.

• Oats contain a saponin called avenacin which increase gut permability.

• All cereal grains contain lectins which adversely affect tight junctions in the gut.

• Alfalfa sprouts contain very high concentrations of saponins and dramatically alter intestinal physiology.

• Quinoa is also very high in saponins leading to a leaky gut.

• Amaranth again is high in spaonins.

• Dairy Products contain hormones and other substance which may increase intestinal permeability, also if you are allerginc to the milk protein casein this increase gut permeability.

It’s quite a list and there are some foods on it that are publicised as being very healthy, but if you’ve got Ulcerative Colitis and you are having a flare up then avoiding these foods  in your diet may just help you get better faster. In fact they are probably worth avoiding completely for a period of time during which you could concentrate on healing your leaky gut and your Colitis.

Boswellia serrata also known as Indian Frankincense is a herb that has been used for 4000 years in Indian Ayurvedic Medicine, it is an excellent anti-inflammatory with no known side effects. The active ingredient is known as Boswellic Acid.

Boswellia has been shown to reduce inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease like Ulcerative Colitis, and other autoimmune conditions. It works like this –

1. Boswellia blocks the lethal pro-inflammatory enzyme 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX). A number of chemicals like 5-LOX released during the inflammatory response in the body contribute to the chronic inflammation in autoimmune disease. Blocking these pro-inflammatory chemicals reduces symptoms of inflammation and helps taper the autoimmune response.

1. The active ingredients of Boswellia, Boswellic acids, also decrease the activity of another pro-inflammatory enzyme known as human leukocyte elastase (HLE). HLE and leukotriene levels are increased in many inflammatory diseases and allergic reactions.

To date, Boswellia is apparently the only substance known to reduce levels of both HLE and leukotrienes.
In studies of patients with inflammatory bowel disease – ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, Boswellia reduced gastrointestinal inflammation and tissue damage.

In one particular study twenty patients with chronic colitis received Boswellia gum resin (900 mg per day for 6 weeks) and another 10 patients were given sulfasalazine (3 g per day for 6 weeks). Out of 20 patients treated with Boswellia, 14 went into remission (70% compared to 40% for sulfasalazine).

In another study on Crohn’s the safety and effectiveness of Boswellia extract was compared against mesalazine for the treatment of 102 patients with active Crohn’s disease in an eight-week randomized, double-blind study. The primary clinical outcome measured was the change in Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (CDAI). After treatment with Boswellia extract (3.6 g per day) the average CDAI was reduced by 90, compared to a reduction of 53 for the mesalazine group (4.5 g per day). The authors concluded that the Boswellia extract was as effective as mesalazine.

Considering the lack of side effects and safety profile of Boswellia, It would seem that this herb could well be a better option than Mesalazine.

So Boswellia seems to be safe to use and effective in treating Ulcerative Colitis. It also has no currently known drug interactions, so it is well worth taking if you have Ulcerative Colitis. Get some here.

Colitis Breakthrough!

Gluten or more specifically Gliadin which is a glycoprotein found in Wheat, Spelt, Barley  and Rye is an intestinal irritant that causes allergic reactions. The body actually reacts to it as if it were an invader. Gliadin  also upregulates a gut protein called Zonulin which adversely affects tight junctions in the gut resulting in increased intestinal permeability otherwise known as a leaky gut.

In Ulcerative Colitis anything which irritates the gut and increases intestinal permeability is going to lead to more inflammation in the Colon which just what you don’t want. You can test specifically for an intolerance to gluten and gliadin with an Igg antibody test, which can be a useful confirmation if you are not sure if Gluten is affecting your symptoms. However if you have Colitis you already have a leaky gut and it is quite likely that avoiding all gluten grains will help your symptoms.

Eating Gluten free is much easier these days, almost anything you can think of that is made with gluten grains can now be purchased in the supermarkets gluten free. But you do have to watch out when buying ready made food because you’d be surprised how often wheat and gluten are hidden ingredients in many food products.

Colitis Breakthrough

Homocysteine, is a non protein amino acid in the blood produced by your body. Elevated Homocysteine levels(H levels) are an inflammation marker. Your H level is the best single indicator of whether you are going to live a long and healthy life. A high H level is a greater risk factor for heart disease than cholesterol. High Homocysteine has been directly linked to over 100 diseases. It is therefore not a big surprise to find that people with autoimmune diseases like Ulcerative Colitis are more likely to have a high H level.

Homocysteine arises during a process called Methylation in the body, Homocysteine itself isn’t bad – your body turns it into two beneficial substances Glutathione which is an antioxidant and SAMe which is a nutrient used in the brain and body, the trouble is that if you are low on B vitamins the enzymes which convert Homocysteine into these beneficial substances don’t function efficiently. This can lead to elevated H levels in the blood which is bad. The good news is that is it relatively easy to reduce H Levels in a matter of weeks by supplementing with B vitamins, trimethyl glycine and zinc. The Vitamins required to reduce H Levels are –

• Folate
• B12
• B6
• B2
• Zinc
• TMG

A combination of the above vitamins taken will rapidly reduce excessive H Levels in a matter of weeks, which will in turn help reduce inflammation in the body, which will help with Ulcerative Colitis. You can get a test to measure Homocysteine levels here.

So what is the best Diet to eat if you have Ulcerative Colitis ?

Personally I find that eating like a Cave Man helps my symptoms to pretty much vanish!

Take a look at the video below for a quick and concise introduction to Paleolithic eating.

Now this is a weird one but it looks rather promising -

not just for Colitis but for all autoimmune diseases,

It involves ingesting a friendly parasite called a Helminthic worm !

How weird is that? Check out this video and see what you think.

While no one single cause of Ulcerative Colitis in currently known ideas are emerging as to number of different factors which together seem to lead to inflammation of the colon i.e. Colitis.

They are -

A genetically inherited predisposition towards inflammation in the body.
A Leaky Gut, caused by increased intestinal permeability.
Bacterial Dysbiosis, where the friendly bacteria in the gut become outnumbered by bad bacteria.
Possible food allergies or intolerances to specific foods.
Eating too many foods which increase inflammation and not enough foods that reduce inflammation.

So even though we don’t have one overall cause, it is interesting to see from this list that there are things we can do to help ourselves, such as – Eating an anti inflammatory diet, taking Probiotics to reverse Dysbiosis, Taking steps to heal a leaky gut and finding out if we have any food allergies/sensitivities.

Nutrition can be useful in the treatment of Ulcerative Colitis in many ways –

• Colitis Sufferers require excellent nutrition to strengthen themselves after a Colitis episode, the right kind of diet which is nutritious and helps reduce inflammation is very useful. Many people find eating a Paleo type diet helpful.
• Vitamins are  very useful during recovery; a multi vitamin as well as Vitamins C E & D can be very helpful in treating Colitis. But take Vitamin C as Calcium Ascorbate not Ascorbic Acid as it may cause pain.
• Calcium – Following a Flare up which has been treated with Prednisolone it is a definately a  good idea to take calcium pills if you doctor is not already providing them. Calcium helps prevent osteoporosis which can be a side effect of steroids like Prednisolone. It also helps to reduce Diarrhea.
• Iron – If there has been bleeding during a flare up you may become anaemic and need to boost your Iron Levels. This is often done by an Iron Infusion as Iron pills can sometimes upset Colitis symptoms.
• Omega 3 Fatty Acids are an excellent supplement for staying in remission- they are anti inflammatory and Colitis is an Inflammatory Condition, so anything to reduce inflammation is a winner.
• Herbs – such as Boswellia and Turmeric  are very useful in reducing inflammation in the body as a whole.
• Probiotics – Either as supplements or in the form of Kefir made with Goats Milk. Probiotics are excellent at improving the good bacteria in the Gut and reducing inflammation.