The relationship between nutritional status and antioxidant capacity of the diet and disease severity in patients with ulcerative colitis

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of dietary antioxidant capacity on inflammation and disease severity in patients with Ulcerative Colitis (UC), and to develop nutritional recommendations for this group based on the data obtained. The study was conducted on a total of 60 individuals diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, aged between 19-64 years, who were examined at the Gastroenterology Department of Mersin University Hospital, with 65% being male and 35% female. While 25.6% of male participants were in the active phase and 74.4% were in the passive phase, 19% of female participants were in the active phase and 81% were in the passive phase. In this study, socio-demographic information of the participants, cooking methods of foods, types of fats used, and 3-day food intake records were collected through face-to-face interviews. Truelove-Witts Ulcerative Colitis clinical activation scoring was calculated to determine disease activity. At the beginning of the study, participants' height, weight, waist circumference, and hip circumference were measured. Three different databases evaluating the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and total radical trapping antioxidant potential (TRAP) were used to calculate the antioxidant capacity of diets. Blood findings of the participants were obtained from the system. For calprotectin level, stool samples were collected and stored at -80°C in the Biochemistry Laboratory of Mersin University Hospital. The mean height of active male participants was found to be 172.50±4.143 cm, and that of active females was 160.25±4.031 cm. The mean weight was 75.580±13.034 kg for active male participants and 58.113±14.008 kg for active females. The mean BMI was 25.300±3.674 kg/m2 for active males and 22.225±4.641 kg/m2 for active females. The mean energy intake through diet was 1829.08±741.352 kcal/day for active individuals and 1450.86±359.128 kcal/day for active females. In active individuals, CRP and calprotectin levels were 12.69±18.433 mg/dL and 1161.09±496.820 μg/g respectively, whereas in passive individuals, they were 6.18±10.870 mg/dL and 571.81±592.091 μg/g respectively. There was no observed relationship between the total antioxidant capacity levels of the diet and calprotectin levels in individuals (p>0.05). Studies on the effect of nutritional status on the course of the disease and inflammatory markers in patients with ulcerative colitis have yielded important results. However, larger sample sizes and longer-term follow-up studies are needed to ensure the reliability of these findings.