Principal Investigator: Paulius V. Kuprys, MD, PhD, Fellow, Physician-Scientist Training Program, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Northwestern Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

One percent of the U.S. population grapples with the chronic symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). On the rise around the globe, IBD has gained steady traction in countries adopting “Western” diets of ultra-processed foods, saturated fats, and low fiber. While growing evidence supports the impact of diet in both the onset and relapse of IBD, its direct relationship to gut inflammation remains unclear.

Current dietary guidelines recommend fresh foods such as those found in the popular Mediterranean diet. But generalized diet plans often fall short in meeting the diverse tastes and restrictions of IBD patients. Supported by this year’s DHF grant, Dr. Kuprys’ team intends to create a unique IBD specific dietary measurement tool in a first-of-its-kind study. The investigators will ask participants with IBD undergoing colonoscopy to provide a 24-hour recall of what they ate one to two weeks after the procedure. Using that information to calculate an IBD-specific healthy eating index (HEI), the researchers aim to link HEI scores to the health of the colon. Quantifiable data from this invaluable work could offer a reliable roadmap for IBD patients to use in their daily food choices.