Many patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) follow restrictive diets, as many respective recommendations circulate. Efforts are made to evaluate and summarize the published information, e.g., in a recent consensus manuscript by the International Organization for the Study of IBD (IOIBD). However, the standards that should be applied to make claims about dietary effects are poorly defined. In this manuscript, we will analyze the scientific basis of recommendations for nutritional interventions in IBD. Epidemiological evidence on diet in IBD is always biased by numerous factors, and the number of robust dietary intervention studies is limited due to methodological difficulties. Therefore, animal models are used to test hypotheses with respect to dietary factors and intestinal inflammation. Naturally, animal models have limitations, and knowledge of key characteristics of colitis animal models is crucial to understand their advantages and disadvantages. In recent year the important role of the microbiota for IBD and dietary factors has been discovered. Microbiota data are added to many publications on IBD and nutrition. The quality of those data varies largely. Subsequently quality standards for microbiota analyses also are discussed. Finally, we will suggest quality requirements to be applied on recommendations for dietary changes in patients with IBD. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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