Should you be on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) for your IBD?

What is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)?

The SCD eliminates complex carbohydrates, refined sugars and certain starches.

It focuses on unprocessed meats, fish, nuts, fruits, non-starchy vegetables and fermented foods while avoiding grains, lactose, and processed foods.


What’s the evidence in IBD?

Some small studies and anecdotal reports suggest that the SCD may help reduce symptoms and promote remission in IBD patients.

A 12 week study in 2021 (DINE-CD) compared the SCD with the Mediterranean diet for Crohns Disease and showed them to be as effective as each other for achieving symptomatic and clinical remission and improvement in quality of life. However, we need longer term studies to see long term impacts of these diets.


Take Away Messages: Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) for IBD

Pros

  • May help reduce symptoms and inflammation for some people with IBD.

  • Shown to be as effective as the Mediterranean diet.

Cons

  • Eliminates many foods, some of which have been shown to be beneficial for gut health e.g complex carbohydrates.

  • Restrictive nature increases risk of nutrient deficiencies.

  • Restrictive nature means it is less likely to be a sustainable dietary pattern for patients longer term.


If you would like support with your IBD, we can help you.

We are a nutrition and dietetics clinic specialising providing exceptional care to improve the quality of life of people living with IBD. We bring clarity around food and IBD and remove uncertainty and fear around food.

Our IBD specialist Nutritionist (Clemmie) and specialist gastroenterology and IBD Dietician (Jess) both have IBD too so ‘get it’ and are so passionate about helping others with IBD.

If you would like support with your IBD please book a free initial call via the button below so we can find out more about you, discuss how we can help and take you through our appointment options.


References

Lomer MCE, Wilson B, Wall CL. British Dietetic Association consensus guidelines on the nutritional assessment and dietary management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2023 Feb;36(1):336-377. doi: 10.1111/jhn.13054. Epub 2022 Jul 21. PMID: 35735908; PMCID: PMC10084145.

Lewis JD, Sandler RS, Brotherton C, et al. A Randomized Trial Comparing the Specific Carbohydrate Diet to a Mediterranean Diet in Adults With Crohn’s Disease. Gastroenterology. 2021 Sep;161(3):837-852. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2021.05.047. Epub 2021 May 27.

Disclaimer: All content found on the nalmclinic.com website, including: text, video, or other formats have been created for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor, consultant or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

We are all wonderfully unique and what works for one person may not work for another so please seek help and advice before changing your diet to work out the right way forward for you.

Clemmie Macpherson