Associations of dietary habits and meal regularity with gastrointestinal symptoms, depression, and quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a cross-sectional study

Background: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic and recurrent gastrointestinal disorder that adversely affects patients’ quality of life. The influence of daily dietary behaviors and meal regularity on gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life remains under-investigated. The study aimed to evaluate dietary intake, dietary habits, and meal patterns of the IBD patients and based on this data, to determine their gastrointestinal symptoms, quality of life, and depression status. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty Hospital and included adults aged 18–75 years with a confirmed diagnosis of IBD attending routine outpatient follow-up visits. Data were collected using a sociodemographic and clinical data form, a 24-Hour Dietary Recall, IBD Quality of Life Questionnaire (IBD-QoL), Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS). Results: A total of 50 patients with IBD were included (30 Crohn’s disease and 20 Ulcerative colitis). The mean age was 39.5 ± 13.49 years and the mean BMI was 24.82 ± 5.39 kg/m². Most patients (82%) reported consuming foods that worsened their symptoms, primarily legumes (21%), milk (14.3%), and raw vegetables (10.9%). Conversely, 50% identified foods that alleviated symptoms, mainly yogurt (18.2%) and cooked vegetables (18.2%), cooked meat (7.6%). Dietary analysis revealed intake below recommended levels for fiber, vitamins B1, B2, B6, C, folate, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron. Meal skipping was reported by 20% of patients with Ulcerative colitis and 40% with Crohn’s disease. Patients who skipped meals had higher gastrointestinal symptom scores than those with regular meal patterns. Additionally, higher depression scores were associated with lower quality of life and more severe gastrointestinal symptoms. Conclusion: The study found that dietary intake and meal patterns in individuals with IBD are associated with their quality of life and gastrointestinal symptoms. A balanced and regular diet may be associated with reduced gastrointestinal symptoms and improved quality of life in IBD patients.