WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and SportsManaging Crohn's Disease through a special diet

Managing Crohn's Disease through a special diet

Crohn's Disease is hard to live with, and there aren't many options for managing it. But a new study finds that one food supplement may help.

Nancy di Fiore used to take 12 pills a day to manage her Crohn's Disease, a chronic, inflammatory bowel condition.

"Every four to six hours ... and that's just a maintenance drug. That isn't when you're sick."

Now, Nancy's living pill-free, and she believes it's thanks to a study she participated in.

It's a trial looking at the effects of diet, dietary changes and a dietary supplement to see if it will affect Crohn's Disease positively.

The cause of Crohn's Disease is unknown, but it may be related to diet and bacteria in the gut.

Doctors think some of the immune attack in the intestines is directed against bacteria in the intestines.

So Rush University researchers are testing whether a so-called "prebiotic" changes the bacterial make-up in the intestine. That means it will be a food for good bacteria to grow in the intestinal environment, bacteria that will hopefully decrease inflammation in the intestines.

Two teaspoons of the nearly tasteless prebiotic are taken daily. And though Nancy's doing well, her doctor says the verdict's still out.

This is an on-going study. And researchers say Crohn's patients may want to look into complementary and alternative medicine treatments, such as diet therapy, or prebiotic therapy, to help calm the immune response in the intestines.