Nuts, seeds did not trigger diverticulitis in women, study finds
Although intake of peanuts, nuts, and seeds or fresh fruits with edible seeds was not associated with incident diverticulitis, women who reported healthier diets had lower risk of the condition, a cohort study found.
Eating nuts, seeds, and corn was not associated with diverticulitis risk in women, while healthy diets were associated with a reduced risk of the condition, a study found.
Researchers used data from a prospective cohort study, The Sister Study, of 29,916 women ages 35 to 74 years who completed questionnaires on their diets and diverticulitis and had no history of inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, or diverticulitis. The Sister Study is an ongoing prospective cohort study of women who have a sister with breast cancer and undergo annual health updates and detailed follow-up questionnaires every two to three years.
Researchers used a modified version of the 110-item Block Food Frequency Questionnaire to measure average food consumption in the prior 12 months. Participants were asked about dietary intake of nuts and seeds in a single question that included peanuts, tree nuts, and seeds. Corn consumption included fresh, frozen, canned, or in a stir-fry. Fresh fruit with edible seeds included raw tomatoes and strawberries. Researchers then used the data to calculate scores for participants on four diets: the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2015, the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (aHEI) 2010, and the Alternative Mediterranean (aMed) diet. Results were published May 6 by Annals of Internal Medicine.
A total of 1,531 cases of incident diverticulitis occurred during 415,103 person-years of follow-up. Among women with incident diverticulitis, 58% had two or more episodes, 30% were hospitalized at least once for diverticulitis, and 14% had surgery for diverticulitis. Compared to women without diverticulitis, women with diverticulitis were older and more likely to identify as non-Hispanic White or Hispanic, be current or former smokers, report heavy alcohol use, have a body mass index indicating overweight or obesity, and be postmenopausal and to report using menopausal hormone therapy.
Intake of peanuts, nuts, and seeds (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.07; 95% CI, 0.91 to 1.25) and fresh fruits with edible seeds (aHR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.90 to 1.24) was not associated with incident diverticulitis. Risk for incident diverticulitis was reduced in women in the highest quartile of healthy diets compared with the lowest quartile: DASH (aHR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.90), HEI (aHR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.66 to 0.91), the AHEI (aHR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.69 to 0.95), and aMed (aHR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.78 to 1.06).
The study authors noted that the presumption that nuts and seeds trigger a mechanical reaction of diverticulitis was previously challenged in studies of men. They wrote, “Our findings refute the widely held belief that dietary intake of particulate matter should be avoided to prevent diverticulitis.”