Food avoidance, restrictive eating behaviour and association with quality of life in adults with inflammatory bowel disease: A systematic scoping review

Background: Dietary misconceptions and behaviours may worsen outcomes of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This scoping review aims to examine the dietary beliefs and behaviours of individuals with IBD and identify evidence of food avoidance, dietary restriction or disordered eating and any association with quality of life (QoL). Methodology: A systematic search of CINAL, EMBASE, MEDLINE was conducted. Primary, peer-reviewed studies in English examining dietary beliefs and dietary behaviours or diet and quality of life in adults with inflammatory bowel disease were included. Key dietary terminology was pre-defined. Results: Twenty-nine studies met inclusion criteria. A range of quantitative self-reported questionnaires (16/29), qualitative interviews (1/29) and mixed methods (7/29) were used to measure dietary beliefs and dietary be-haviours. A high prevalence of food avoidance (28-89%) and restrictive dietary behaviours (41-93%) were identified. Factors associated with these behaviours included a diagnosis of CD, perceived active disease, female sex, dietary misinformation, and fears of adverse bowel symptoms. Diet and QoL remains largely unexplored in IBD beyond two recent studies demonstrating impairment of food-related quality of life in IBD. Conclusion: A high prevalence of self-reported food avoidance and restrictive dietary behaviour exists in people with IBD. The psychosocial impact of IBD-related dietary behaviour is poorly understood. Validated tools with predefined diet terminology and objective markers of disease activity are required to measure dietary behaviour in future prospective studies, using food-related quality of life as an outcome measure.

Automated summary

Individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) exhibit a high prevalence of self-reported food avoidance and restrictive dietary behavior, which are associated with factors such as Crohn's disease diagnosis, female sex, dietary misinformation, and fears of adverse bowel symptoms. However, the psychosocial impact of IBD-related dietary behavior remains poorly understood, with a need for validated tools and objective markers to measure dietary behavior in future studies focusing on food-related quality of life.