RESEARCHERS SEEKING OUT GUTSY VOLUNTEERS
GOOD food can improve bad guts and finding the best diet to help ulcerative colitis (UC) is the goal of a new trial.
Researchers want 52 volunteers with the condition to go on an eightweek diet.
The study will identify changes in the lining of the colon and its bacterial colonies when sticking to a diet.
Dietitian and project co-lead Alice Day said diet played an important role. She said many patients avoided foods to try to help manage inflammation but there was limited evidence to show what diet was best.
“For years patients have told us that diet is important to them and the food they eat affects their inflammation, yet patients have predominantly been told there is no scientific evidence to support this,” she said.
Rachel Fenwick, 34, took part in a diet trial for UC in 2018.
“It had a huge impact on me mentally because it helped me understand my condition and how to manage it,” she said.
“Now I’m aware of what I eat but it’s not a restrictive diet.”