Does sitting to defecate worsen Crohn's?

"For Best Toilet Health: Squat or Sit? from Mercola.com
"Is the Western toilet in part responsible for problems like hemorrhoids, constipation, IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease), appendicitis, and even heart attacks?
...
As globalization continues to make its way across the world, squat toilets are being converted to sitters. For example, Thailand's Health Ministry just announced it will replace squat toilets with the sit-down varieties at all public facilities.3 This may be a bad thing for public health, as a wide range of health problems have been associated with the transition from squatting to sitting. In fact, health problems potentially stemming from the sitting position include ...  Appendicitis Constipation Hemorrhoids Incontinence Colitis Crohn's Disease Diverticulitis Contamination of the Small Intestine Gynecological Disorders, including Pelvic Organ Prolapse and Uterine Fibroids Colon Cancer Hiatal Hernia and GERD Pregnancy and Childbirth Prostate Disorders Sexual Dysfunction Reduced Risk of Cardiac Events." [Emphasis mine.]

Squatty Potty
"Using the squatty potty provides a stable platform to elevate the feet and legs, allowing greater hip flexion and straightening out the anorectal angle (kink).
Using the Squatty Potty:

• Will unkink your rectum taking you from a continent mode to elimination mode
• Will allow for easier elimination and efficiency to empty the bowel
• Help reduce episodes of constipation and help those who suffer from chronic constipation
• Reduce gas and bloating making you feel lighter & healthier."

How does our Western diet influence Crohn's?

"Dietary-fat-induced taurocholic acid promotes pathobiont expansion and colitis in Il10−/− mice", Devkota et al. in Nature (2012) Preview"The composite human microbiome of Western populations has probably changed over the past century, brought on by new environmental triggers that often have a negative impact on human health1. Here we show that consumption of a diet high in saturated (milk-derived) fat, but not polyunsaturated (safflower oil) fat, changes the…"

Milk fat found in junk food may be to blame for dramatic rise in IBS cases

"Concentrated milk fat is a powdery substance that is abundant in processed foods and confectionery.
...
Prof Chang's team found that milk fat, but not polyunsaturated fats, caused an explosion in the numbers of a normally rare gut microbe called Bilophila wadsworthia.

The bugs were almost undetectable in mice on low-fat or unsaturated fat diets, but made up about 6% of all bacteria in the guts of mice fed milk fat.  Bilophila wadsworthia has an affinity for bile, which is released into the intestines to help break down fats.
...
Milk fats are unusually difficult to digest, requiring the liver to produce bile rich in sulphur.

Since B. wadsworthia thrives on sulphur, this fuels its population growth.

'Unfortunately, these can be harmful bacteria,' Prof Chang said.

'Presented with a rich source of sulphur, they bloom, and when they do, they are capable of activating the immune system of genetically prone individuals.'

By-products of the bugs' interaction with bile enhance the effect by making the bowel more permeable, the scientists said.

Immune cells then find it easier to infiltrate the bowel wall and damage tissue.
...
Prof Chang added: 'Right now we can't do much about correcting genes that predispose individuals to increased risk for these diseases, and while we could encourage people to change their diets, this is seldom effective and always difficult." [Emphasis mine.]

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

"Bacteria isolated from surgical infections and its susceptibilities to antimicrobial agents--special references to bacteria isolated between April 2009 and March 2010" in The Japanese Journal of Antibiotics (2011)
"We should carefully follow up B. wadsworthia which was resistant to various antibiotics...."

"Diversity and distribution of sulphate-reducing bacteria in human faeces from healthy subjects and patients with inflammatory bowel disease" in FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology (2012)
"The relative abundance of different groups of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in faecal DNA collected before and after therapy from patients suffering from Crohn's disease (CD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or ulcerative colitis (UC) has been compared with that from healthy controls. Growth tests revealed that SRB were not more abundant in samples from patients with CD before treatment than in the healthy control group. ... However, some samples from patients with CD before treatment contained a growth inhibitor that was absent from IBS or UC samples. In-depth sequencing of PCR-generated dsrB fragments revealed that the diversity detected was surprisingly low, with only eight strains of SRB and the sulphite-reducing bacterium, Bilophila wadsworthia, detected above the 0.1% threshold. The proportion of the two major species detected,B. wadsworthia and Desulfovibrio piger, was as high as 93.5% of the total SRB population in the healthy control group and lower in all patient groups."

Do artificial sweeteners cause Crohn's Disease?

Artificial Sweeteners May Lead to Inflammatory Bowel Disease:

Does MAP cause Crohn's?

PARA - Welcome:

"Crohn’s disease and the mycobacterioses: A quarter century later. Causation or simple association?" in Critical Reviews in Microbiology (2012)
"It has been more than 25 years since Mycobacterium paratuberculosis was first proposed as an etiologic agent in Crohn’s disease based on the isolation of this organism from several patients. Since that time, a great deal of information has been accumulated that clearly establishes an association between M. paratuberculosis and Crohn’s disease. However, data are conflicting and difficult to interpret and the field has become divided into committed advocates and confirmed skeptics. This review is an attempt to provide a thorough and objective summary of current knowledge from both basic and clinical research from the views and interpretations of both the antagonists and proponents. The reader is left to draw his or her own conclusions related to the validity of the issues and claims made by the opposing views and data interpretations. Whether M. paratuberculosis is a causative agent in some cases or simply represents an incidental association remains a controversial topic, but current evidence suggests that the notion should not be so readily dismissed. Remaining questions that need to be addressed in defining the role of M. paratuberculosis in Crohn’s disease and future implications are discussed."

How do antibiotics influence Crohn's?

Antibiotic Use Tied to Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis:

Does fungus cause Crohn's?

The Fungal Etiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease:

'via Blog this'

Is vitamin D deficiency a cause of CD symptoms?

Are Crohn's patients deficient in vitamin D because they have Crohn's Disease?  Or do they have Crohn's Disease because they are deficient in vitamin D?

"Hypovitaminosis D in Adults with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Potential Role of Ethnicity" in Digestive Diseases and Sciences (2012)
"A significantly higher percentage of South Asians had hypovitaminosis D when compared to Caucasians. Disease severity trended towards an inverse relationship with vitamin D status in all South Asian and Caucasian CD patients, although most patients in this study had only mild to moderate disease. We suggest that vitamin D supplementation should be considered in all adult IBD patients."


"Vitamin D Deficiency in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease" in JPEN (2011)
"Vitamin D deficiency is common in IBD and is independently associated with lower HRQOL and greater disease activity in CD. There is a need for prospective studies to assess this correlation and examine the impact of vitamin D supplementation on disease course."


"High Prevalence of Vitamin D Inadequacy and Implications for Health" in Mayo Clinic Proceedings (2006)
"Supplemental doses of vitamin D and sensible sun exposure could prevent deficiency in most of the general population. The purposes of this article are to examine the prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy and to review the potential implications for skeletal and extraskeletal health. "

"Low wintertime vitamin D levels in a sample of healthy young adults of diverse ancestry living in the Toronto area: associations with vitamin D intake and skin pigmentation" in BMC Public Health (2008)
Conclusions:  "Our study suggests that the prevalence of low vitamin D levels in young adults living in Canada (Southern Ontario) may be higher than previously described. Our sample included individuals of diverse ancestry, and as such provides a better representation of the multi-ethnic composition of Canadian metropolitan areas than previous studies. Our research also indicates that there are differences in serum 25(OH)D levels and vitamin D intake between population groups and that the currently Recommended Adequate Intake of vitamin D (RAI = 200 IU/day) may not be met by a large proportion of the young adults. Vitamin D intake was particularly low amongst those young Canadians at greatest risk of vitamin D insufficiency. Furthermore, our study suggests that the current vitamin D recommendations in the US and Canada (200 IU/day) are insufficient to ensure optimal circulating 25(OH)D levels, which are defined by most vitamin D experts as 75 nmol/L."

"Vitamin D: a D-Lightful health perspective" in Nutrition Reviews (2008)
TREATMENT FOR VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY
"Vitamin D deficiency requires immediate attention and aggressive vitamin D replacement.13,30 When a person is vitamin D deficient, simply giving them what is now thought to be the required amount of vitamin D3, i.e., 1000 IU/day, will only satisfy what the body requires and will gradually increase the blood levels of 25(OH)D. To quickly correct vitamin D deficiency, 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 once a week for 8 weeks is often effective. In most patients, blood levels of 25(OH)D will rise on average by 100%. For those who are severely deficient, an additional 8-week course of 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 is recommended. Since the individual presented with vitamin D deficiency, it's likely that they will become vitamin D deficient again unless they take an adequate amount of vitamin D either as 1000 IU of vitamin D3/d or 50,000 IU of vitamin D twice a month. An alternative strategy that was found to be effective was to give 100,000 IU of vitamin D3 every 3 months."

Does Polysorbate 80 (emulsifier) worsen Crohn's symptoms?

"Food Components Influence Bacterial Pathology of Crohn's Disease" from Medscape Today News
"The translocation of Escherichia coli across M (microfold) cells and Peyer's patches in Crohn's disease is inhibited by plant fiber but increases with low concentrations of polysorbate 80, an emulsifier commonly used in processed foods, new research findings suggest."

"Translocation of Crohn's disease Escherichia coliacross M-cells: contrasting effects of soluble plant fibres and emulsifiers" in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (2010)
" We have assessed the effect of soluble non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) and food emulsifiers on translocation of Escherichia coli across M-cells. ... Polysorbate-80, 0.01% vol/vol, increased E coli translocation through Caco2-cl1 monolayers 59-fold (p<0.05) and, at higher concentrations, increased translocation across M-cells. Similarly, E coli translocation across human Peyer's patches was reduced 45±7% by soluble plantain NSP (5 mg/ml) and increased 2-fold by polysorbate-80 (0.1% vol/vol). ...
Translocation of E coli across M-cells is reduced by soluble plant fibres, particularly plantain and broccoli, but increased by the emulsifier Polysorbate-80. These effects occur at relevant concentrations and may contribute to the impact of dietary factors on Crohn's disease pathogenesis."