Healthy Plant-Based Diet May Lower Inflammatory Bowel Disease Risk

WEDNESDAY, July 16, 2025 (HealthDay News) — 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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