Children Developed UC Despite Eating Healthy?

Has anyone used a UC friendly diet (plus supplements and any other) to try and prevent their kids from getting UC?

It's a fact that your chances of having UC are increased if it's in your family so I wondered about reducing the chances for my children.

Any success stories or failures (lesson learned) are welcome.

Thanks

Post Edited (Burli) : 2/13/2015 5:10:35 PM (GMT-7)

I believe there is a strong casual relationship between gut bacteria and the surging autoimmunity rates in developed countries. Among other things like antibiotic usage, genetics, stress levels and environmental factors, there is a very plausible connection between UC and the western diet, as certain foodstuff degrades or weakens gut bacteria.

By far, the greatest culprit appears to be omega-6 fats (or alpha linoleic acid):

1) From Paul Jaminet: Most people are familiar with the evidence linking the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio to cardiovascular disease. Most Americans have an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio in tissue that is ten-fold too high; cultures with a better omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, such as Greenland Inuit and Japanese, have much lower rates of heart disease.

Since the effect of an excessive omega-6 to omega-3 is to greatly increase inflammation while impairing immune function, it’s logical that an elevated ratio would worsen inflammatory bowel disease.

The EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) study took food diaries from 203,193 people and followed them for four years [19]:

Being in the upper quartile of intake of omega-6 fatty acids raised the risk of ulcerative colitis by 149%.
Being in the upper quartile of intake of the omega-3 DHA, which is abundant in salmon and sardines, reduced the risk of ulcerative colitis by 36% – 77% after adjustment for omega-6 intake. (Apparently those who ate more omega-3s also ate more omega-6s.)

2) Western diet changes gut bacteria and triggers colitis in those at risk.

3) Study indicates sulfites and caffeine exacerbate UC, while RS alleviates it.

Post Edited (Guardian7) : 2/12/2015 8:21:18 AM (GMT-7)

Is this really a surprise? Haven't you read about all the adults who have lived a healthy lifestyle for most of their lives and still came down with UC? How about those non-western diet countries where some still develop IBD? I'm not an advocate for eating unhealthy or having an unhealthy lifestyle and there is evidence that these choices contribute to poorer health and some diseases, but there is absolutely no evidence or proof anywhere that eating healthy and having a healthy lifestyle will protect you from getting UC. In fact, there are more than enough cases, including your post, which clearly show that this lifestyle does not protect you from getting UC.

I personally don't believe diet has much to with whether or not someone will develop UC. My parents raised my siblings and I with healthy eating as kids...home cooked meals, no junk/fast food, ect. Myself and my sister both got zapped with severe Pancolitis and my brothers are fine. If you have the genetic make up to get it, you just need that trigger and that trigger could be a number of things. (For me I'm convinced it was quitting smoking) Maybe for some people it is diet but it definitely does not apply to everyone who gets UC. No clear cut answer on the topic that's for sure.

Guardian7,
You've given me the information I was looking for; thanks. From that I have something I'll try and push on the kids to reduce their chances. The data seems clear; I'll start looking more into it.

So, has anyone tried reducing the chance of another person (or themselves) from getting UC via going to a diet/lifestyle/supplements/etc. which has shown to decrease one's chances of getting UC?

I'm going to push omega-3's to my daughters anyway but I'm just wishing to hear if someone tried it and it didn't work (or is). It is helpful to learn from other's experiences.

thanks brucen36 and I thought I was asking for specific examples of those ppl who used specific, tailored (based on what they know about their own genetics) preventative measures on their higher-risk-of-UC children. I worded it in a different way since it appears I'm having trouble explaining what I'm asking.

Thanks DB
I first asked if they had followed a specific plan for their children and it did not work. That would tell me something. If I found those people then I would want to know more about why they think it did not work (lessons learned).
I also ask for those who did it and notice their children don't have it which, I agree, doesn't tell near as much but I'd like to hear from folks who did what I'm saying now as opposed to folks who are, well, not answering my question rather telling me what I'm asking won't help me...I did have to look up the word 'etiologies' but I don't feel too bad as I imagine most in here don't know what a 'digital thread' in manufacturing entails...bruce, are you in the medical industry or did you pick up that vocab through reading medical studies? I like a new word a day

Still- not advocating raising children on fast food instead of good food.

I think it has helped that I was very healthy when I got this.

Genetics. My grandmother had it.
I'm half Ashke**** Jew. The incidence is 3 or 4 times higher, if I remember correctly.

It flipped on like a switch at 50, which is also typical.

Burli said...
Has anyone used a UC friendly diet (plus supplements and any other) to try and prevent their kids from getting UC?

It's a fact that your chances of having UC are increased if it's in your family so I wondered about reducing the chances for my children.

Any success stories or failures (lesson learned) are welcome.

Thanks

My two nephews have a dad and aunt with Crohn's disease, and their diets are crap. One is 8 and the other 13.

I'll report back on their progress in 20 years' time.

PS: I think diet is wildly overestimated as a cause of IBD. If it had a major factor to play, I think we would know about it by now, since diet is one of the few things researchers can actually analyse.