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Posted 12/8/2008 2:28 PM (GMT -5)
but a little sad since I'm a chocolate lover myself, but this link goes to show that the bacteria in our gut differs depending on what our diet is like and we all know there is a direct link to bacteria and IBD which in essence means there is also a link to diet and IBD as well.

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa071012_lj_choc.16449996a.html

:)

Posted 12/8/2008 3:57 PM (GMT -5)
Shoot pb4 - we can't win for losing can we?! I love chocolate - don't crave it, but enjoy a piece once in a while - LOL brings our bad cholestrol down and yet isn't good for our guts!

Gigi1227
Posted 12/8/2008 4:01 PM (GMT -5)
I just went in a flare after a bit too much gingerbread cookies and stress - even I make mistakes ;-p
Posted 12/8/2008 5:06 PM (GMT -5)
I find it extreamly interesting that those who crave chocolate every day have a larger amount of a specific bacteria that triggers the craving for it...and that the foods we tend to eat most (due to cravings) dictate the type of bacteria (including the excessive amount of certain bacteria) we have in our system.

:)
Posted 12/8/2008 5:16 PM (GMT -5)
Thanks pb4, very intresting artical
Posted 12/8/2008 6:21 PM (GMT -5)
that was interesting- although I didn't find it to mean that the "bacteria" is bad, just that depending on the types of bacteria we may have, we crave certain foods. Of course I just ate 3 Lindt truffles....so.... I know for a fact I do indeed have that chocolate loving bacteria! Apparently my latest infusion kicked in, & I have been eating like it! I suppose the next step would be to target certain specific bacteriums to attempt to change peoples diets. That may be useful for some gastointestinal issues, but not sure how it would help with UC/Crohns. I just can't buy into the the diet = IBD theories, just cannot do it. If true, why then, when people are flaring severely, they tend to limit their diet to "safe" foods- liquids, avocados, yams, salmon, eggs... & they are still going 15x a day??? I wish I could see a pic of the chocoholic-bacteria- I can see little mini-reeses cups with sharp teeth!

Posted 12/8/2008 6:48 PM (GMT -5)
All I know is if I eat certain foods for a few days I get nasty spasms with my a.m. BM...I may also start getting some minor bleeding. Stress and diet can really affect the way I suffer with my IBD
Posted 12/8/2008 7:40 PM (GMT -5)
The CCFC has not ruled out food as a possible trigger for IBD, so food, even in the form of the bacteria that it contains could very possible be the diet trigger for IBD. It's known that certain food types can exacerbate symptoms, refined sugar, sugar alcohols, fast-foods, processed foods/beverages, animal fats and caffiene.

:)
Posted 12/8/2008 9:05 PM (GMT -5)
The same has been said about people with fungal conditions...they crave bread, potatoes, pasta, sweets. Fungus thrives on those such carbs but will die in the absence of grains and sugar. Limiting ones diet to "safe" foods won't help if one has a fungal condition. It is not trial and error. You have to kill the fungus and 'eliminate' fungus-feeding foods (liquids other than water and yams are some of those fungus feeders), for longer than a few days, often longer than a month, until the symptoms disappear.
Posted 12/8/2008 9:07 PM (GMT -5)
I read somehwere that you cannot possibly kill off all fungus in the GI tract but it's definitely key to keep it in check so it doesn't get out of control and wreak havoc.

:)
Posted 12/8/2008 9:13 PM (GMT -5)
Yup, it's the absence of the good bacteria that allows the yeast to grow and proliferate. It is always there. It has a symbiotic relationship in our body with the bacteria. It is when such factors as antibiotics are taken, thereby killing the good bacteria, that yeast is allowed to flourish and overgrow unchecked, causing many health problems and diseases.
Posted 12/8/2008 10:02 PM (GMT -5)
Well we'll just let the people who think food is not a trigger or related to UC ignore this post and keep eating whatever they (or their bacteria) crave.
Posted 12/9/2008 12:08 AM (GMT -5)
I'm a believer that diet certainly plays it's role somehow...you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make em drink, that said, everyone is entitled to their opinion but facts are facts and food has never been completely ruled out as a possible trigger. I've learned in my 17 yrs of living with crohn's colitis that being open minded leads to a path of learning more and I want to learn as much as I can about the misery I've been living with for almost 2 lousy decades.

:)
Posted 12/9/2008 2:03 AM (GMT -5)
I won't even tell you how much chocolate i can eat and NO it doesn't lead to a flare. ever.

so, please "let" people believe that food doesn't cause flares. The article in no way says it's even suspected.
Posted 12/9/2008 2:18 AM (GMT -5)
Fungus/yeast is in our guts naturally....it obviously part if the process, either byproduct or serves a purpose somehow.

It's not the absence of good bacteria, but more of not enough..through whatever reasons..that can allow the yeast/fungus, c.difficile, e,coli..or whatever  not remain in check.

Some bacteria isn't in our bodies naturally untill we eat certain foods to help them proliferate in our digestive tract.

Maybe the bottom line isn't the bacteria, but rather the enzymes in our digestive tracts to help break down the foods that could help encourage a healthier more balanced flora so that things can remain in better check.

q

Posted 12/9/2008 2:24 AM (GMT -5)
sure the article doesnt spell out that some foods are connected to UC flares it doesnt even mention UC.


What the article does say is that the foods you eat affect the intestinal bacteria. We know that intestinal bacteria affect UC. Therefore the foods you eat affect UC. Its a really simple logical implication.
Posted 12/9/2008 2:51 AM (GMT -5)
we see what we're receptive to or experience, I guess.
Posted 12/9/2008 9:13 AM (GMT -5)

crazy train said...
We know that intestinal bacteria affect UC

well how do we know that? I've never read any type of study claiming that to be so....aside from personal experience, there is nothing to back that statement up. I did think that article was interesting, but again, it in no way makes any claims that intestinal bacteria/food is related to IBD. They used chocolate as an example- they could have just as easily used cheese, or fruit, or Doritos even!  To me, that article simply illustrated that what we crave is directly related to the types of bacteria in our guts. It doesn't ever imply that said bacteria is to blame for any pre-existing health condition. And when all is said & done, I've had no ill effects from pigging out on Lindt truffles last night- 4 truffles down, & my morning bathroom habits are the same as any other day. If not a little better- I've gone 4 times so far, all formed. Maybe chocolate is constipating. Anyway, I think what those researchers are trying to do is target certain types of bacteria, in an effort to end overeating of certain "unhealthy" foods, mainly to target obesity & food cravings. They never once mention the potential health benefits as far as "curing" certain types of IBD or other diseases.

Posted 12/9/2008 11:18 AM (GMT -5)
Well, our diet does affect our health (actual health not how we feel) and that's just undebateable. Our health affects all other aspects of our life, even our UC, whether we like to give up and accept it or not. That aside, I luv a good gut wrenching chocolate.
Posted 12/9/2008 2:10 PM (GMT -5)

Eva Lou said...

We know that intestinal bacteria affect UC
well how do we know that? I've never read any type of study claiming that to be so....aside from personal experience, there is nothing to back that statement up. I did think that article was interesting, but again, it in no way makes any claims that intestinal bacteria/food is related to IBD. They used chocolate as an example- they could have just as easily used cheese, or fruit, or Doritos even! To me, that article simply illustrated that what we crave is directly related to the types of bacteria in our guts. It doesn't ever imply that said bacteria is to blame for any pre-existing health condition. And when all is said & done, I've had no ill effects from pigging out on Lindt truffles last night- 4 truffles down, & my morning bathroom habits are the same as any other day. If not a little better- I've gone 4 times so far, all formed. Maybe chocolate is constipating. Anyway, I think what those researchers are trying to do is target certain types of bacteria, in an effort to end overeating of certain "unhealthy" foods, mainly to target obesity & food cravings. They never once mention the potential health benefits as far as "curing" certain types of IBD or other diseases.

Eva Lou, there is a wide concensus in IBD research that dysfunction of the gut is inter-linked with its flora
If you want studies that show UC is directly related to intestinal bacteria and/or affected by it here it is

http://www.crohns.net/Miva/education/articles/fedorak_DDW.shtml
http://www.crohns.net/Miva/productinfo/VSLresearch.shtml
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1383064
http://gut.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/50/suppl_2/a29
http://www.science-autism.org/gutflora.htm#FloraIBD
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19058229?ordinalpos=11&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19051694?ordinalpos=16&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19050899?ordinalpos=20&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19040190?ordinalpos=24&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19018031?ordinalpos=52&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17640978?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17263590?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=5&log$=relatedreviews&logdbfrom=pubmed
Posted 12/9/2008 2:36 PM (GMT -5)
Yes, itestinal bacteria certaily does effect IBD, that's why so many reasearchers have been trying to find out specifically which bacteria is the main issues with CD and with UC and that's why taking probiotics is becomming more recognized as part of dealing with IBD...they know that IBDers have bacterial over-growth and that we carry an abundance of certain bacteria(s) compared to healthy people.

The link I posted is simply saying that it's been discovered that people who are addicted to chocolate are because they carry an abundance of a certain bacteria that makes them crave it on a regular basis...that's all. But I think they may have stumbled on to something that may actually help them get further ahead on knowledge of bacteria(s) that us IBDers have that healthy people don't (or at least the abundance), I just don't think they realize with the chocolate study that they may have stumbled on to something in regards to how IBDers are affected...know what I mean?

:)

:)
Posted 12/9/2008 3:29 PM (GMT -5)
lol pb4 you got yourself in big trouble. Implying that someone should maybe give up chocolate because maybe it is somehow related to a bacterial condition which may or may not be related to anything that ultimately is related to UC is enough to get chocolate hungry choco-philiacs up in turmoil!
Posted 12/9/2008 3:50 PM (GMT -5)
Ya, lol, it kinda looks that way doesn't it! Funny thing is I'm a chocoholic myself, but I've switched to dark (80% minimum) and I don't eat it everyday like I used to.

:)
Posted 12/9/2008 3:54 PM (GMT -5)
You know, I used to consider myself a chocolate addict, but now I can barely stomach eating a small piece. It just KILLS me. Reese's peanut butter cups are my favorite and I used to be able to sit and eat a whole bag. Chocolate brownies and ice cream too. Now the thought of it makes me hurt :(
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