Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Nov;70(11):1309-1317.
doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2016.130. Epub 2016 Jul 27.

The association between the intake of specific dietary components and lifestyle factors and microscopic colitis

J K Larsson  1 , E Sonestedt  2 , B Ohlsson  3 , J Manjer  4 , K Sjöberg  1
Affiliations

The association between the intake of specific dietary components and lifestyle factors and microscopic colitis

J K Larsson et al. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2016 Nov.

Abstract

Background/objectives: The incidence of microscopic colitis (MC) has increased over the previous decades. In addition to smoking and drugs, currently unidentified environmental factors may have a role. The aim of this study was to determine whether specific dietary or other lifestyle factors were associated with the development of MC.

Subject/methods: The population-based cohort Malmö Diet and Cancer Study of 28 095 individuals was examined. Information about dietary habits was collected by a modified diet history method. Data on anthropometry were measured, and socio-economic and lifestyle factors were collected by questionnaires. Cases of MC were identified in medical registers. Associations were estimated using Cox regression analysis.

Results: During a 22-year period, 135 patients were diagnosed with MC. Intakes of protein, carbohydrates, sucrose, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids, fibre and zinc were not associated with MC. We could verify the previously reported association between MC and smoking (hazard ratio (HR): 2.29; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.66-3.84) and the female gender (HR: 3.57; 95% CI: 2.22-5.74). High alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk for MC (HR: 1.89 for the highest quartile; 95% CI: 0.82-4.33, P for trend=0.032). In a post hoc analysis, alcohol intake including all patients independently of consumption seemed to reduce the smoking-related risk.

Conclusions: Despite a large cohort and a long follow-up period, we could not detect any dietary risk factors for MC. The aetiological mechanisms behind the positive impact of smoking and alcohol on MC risk should be investigated.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Rasmussen MA, Munck LK. Systematic review: are lymphocytic colitis and collagenous colitis two subtypes of the same disease - microscopic colitis? Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2012; 36: 79–90. - PubMed
    1. Bonderup OK, Fenger-Gron M, Wigh T, Pedersen L, Nielsen GL. Drug exposure and risk of microscopic colitis: a nationwide Danish case-control study with 5751 cases. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2014; 20: 1702–1707. - PubMed
    1. Fernandez-Banares F, de Sousa MR, Salas A, Beltran B, Piqueras M, Iglesias E et al. Epidemiological risk factors in microscopic colitis: a prospective case-control study. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2013; 19: 411–417. - PubMed
    1. Roth B, Gustafsson RJ, Jeppsson B, Manjer J, Ohlsson B. Smoking- and alcohol habits in relation to the clinical picture of women with microscopic colitis compared to controls. BMC Womens Health 2014; 14: 16. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Vigren L, Sjoberg K, Benoni C, Tysk C, Bohr J, Kilander A et al. Is smoking a risk factor for collagenous colitis? Scand J Gastroenterol 2011; 46: 1334–1339. - PubMed

Publication types