The prevalence of Crohn’s disease has been increasing over the years. Approximately 1.3% of the U.S. population (3 million people) have been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (mainly Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis) (in 2015) [1]. This was a large increase from 0.9% of adults (about 2 million) having an IBD condition back in 1999 [2]. Additional statistics from 2016 found that 1 in 209 adults and 1 in 1299 children (ages 2-17) were dealing with IBD [3]. The data gives all indication that prevalence of IBD conditions like Crohn’s disease are on the rise.
There is limited information, and there are limited care guide lines, available to help nutrition professionals administer care and offer a comprehensive, individualized approach for patients with Crohn’s disease [4]. A recent case study, though, that was published on March 13, 2021 in Alternative Therapies In Health and Medicine, showed promise for LEAP therapy based on results from the leukocyte activation assay-Mediator Release Test (LAA-MRT). The subject of the study was an underweight 12-year-old boy with Crohn’s disease who presented with a history of eczema, abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea, and intermittent fever. In the initial 10.5 months of his diagnosis, he was unresponsive to treatment. He was then placed on the Lifestyle Eating and Performance (LEAP) protocol, the strategic food and chemical re-introduction program based on the results of MRT.
Following LEAP for 39 days brought his fecal calprotectin levels (used to detect intestinal inflammation) from >2000 μg/g to 185.9μg/g. He also had repeat endoscopies of his upper and lower gastrointestinal tract along with 10 biopsies that showed complete remission within 1 year after beginning nutrition therapy. After this period, the patient was able to discontinue his pharmaceutical protocol, and he remained in remission after 3 years of follow-up. Laboratory biomarkers were normalized along with body mass index and other anthropometric measures. This case study points to evidence that LEAP can have a profound effect on pediatric Crohn’s disease [5].
I’m looking forward to seeing more published research in the future!
Inflammatory conditions linked to impaired oral tolerance? MRT and LEAP therapy can be part of the long-term healing solution.
Dahlhamer JM, Zammitti EP, Ward BW, Wheaton AG, Croft JB. Prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease among adults aged ≥18 years—United States, 2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;65(42):1166–1169.
Nguyen GC, Chong CA, Chong RY. National estimates of the burden of inflammatory bowel disease among racial and ethnic groups in the United States. J Crohns Colitis. 2014;8:288–295. DOI: https://academic.oup.com/ecco-jcc/article/8/4/288/386357external icon . Accessed May 2, 2018.
Yizhou Ye, PhD, Sudhakar Manne, MS, William R Treem, MD, Dimitri Bennett, MD, Prevalence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Pediatric and Adult Populations: Recent Estimates From Large National Databases in the United States, 2007–2016, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Volume 26, Issue 4, April 2020, Pages 619–625, https://doi.org/10.1093/ibd/izz182
Donnellan, C. F., Yann, L. H., & Lal, S. (2013). Nutritional management of Crohn's disease. Therapeutic advances in gastroenterology, 6(3), 231–242. https://doi.org/10.1177/1756283X13477715
Zarini GG, Masters J, McLean MA, Strobel CT. Clinical and Anthropometric Improvements with a Tailored Dietary Approach in Pediatric Crohn's Disease [published online ahead of print, 2021 Mar 13]. Altern Ther Health Med. 2021;AT6717.