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Healthy Plant-Based Diet May Lower Inflammatory Bowel Disease Risk

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on July 16, 2025.

via HealthDay

WEDNESDAY, July 16, 2025 -- A healthy plant-based diet may reduce the risk for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) due to the anti-inflammatory properties of the diet, according to a study published online July 9 in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.

Zhenhe Jin, from The First Affiliated Hospital at the Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou, China, and colleagues evaluated the associations between plant-based diets and IBD risk. The analysis included data from 143,434 U.K. Biobank participants.

The researchers found that during a mean follow-up of 14.5 years, 1,117 participants developed IBD (ulcerative colitis: 795 individuals; Crohn disease: 322 individuals). There was an inverse association between a healthy Plant-Based Dietary Index (PDI) and ulcerative colitis risk (hazard ratio [HR], 0.92) and Crohn disease risk (HR, 0.86) and between PDI and Crohn disease risk (HR, 0.86). There was a positive association between an unhealthy PDI and Crohn disease risk (HR, 1.15). Fruits and vegetables were protective factors. The association between a plant-based diet and IBD risk was mediated by neutrophils, white blood cells, and C-reactive protein.

"Our research indicates that a healthy plant-based diet may protect against inflammatory bowel disease, with its anti-inflammatory properties playing a key role," coauthor Zhe Shen, M.D., also from Zhejiang University, said in a statement.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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