Now that I have your attention…the above headline came out today all over the internet. It was from The Telegraph, a British paper. The article can be found here – http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10908884/Crohns-disease-in-teens-jumps-300-per-cent-in-10-years-fuelled-by-junk-food.html.
What I wish, is that people would really think before they speak…or type. First, the claim is that antibiotics used early in life is causing the IBD. Coupled with that is the intake of “junk food”. My favorite quote comes from a Dr. Sally Mitton. She says, “Definitely, if you have a lot of junk food before your diagnosis it actually makes it more likely that you will develop Crohn’s Disease”. Really? REALLY? This is by far one of the worst statements I have heard yet on Crohn’s. If I eat bad right before a diagnosis then that was the cause. So by her reasoning, if you are petting a dog and suddenly have a heart attack, then the petting of the dog caused the heart attack.
I really don’t know how someone is allowed to put this in writing without any sort of empirical data to back it up. So let’s look at my life. Before diagnosis I hadn’t really had any antibiotics so that isn’t what killed my gut. As far as junk food, I did eat junk food but I also ate healthy food. And what about all the people who had IBD before mass-produced sugar products? What is the reason they got IBD.
Oh wait, it’s coming back to me know. IBD is genetic and hereditary. It is something that gets passed down and is in our DNA. I guess that well-educated doctor didn’t read those articles.
Dr Sally Mitton goes on to say that people can manage their disease by altering their diet. Um…again not true. Yes, food can play a role for many people. But what about people who can’t touch food at all and have to go on TPN? As we know, there is no one diet for IBD. Everyone is different.
I swear, every time I think we are making progress with these diseases, something comes out to push us back. How many people are going to read this article and believe it. Now we are going to have to hear people say.. “Stop eating junk food and you will cure yourself”. Ugh. Ignorance. I can’t stand it.
As far as the antibiotics go, does she realize that antibiotics are also a treatment for CD? Hmmm. It can cause it and then cure it. Amazing.
Honestly I don’t know what is worse. A doctor that believes all this, a reporter that will write the article or a paper that will print it.
A Guy With Crohn's 
The ABSURD headline was generated from a tv clip that was shown on the BBC as an introduction to an interview with a great IBD advocate and the C.E.O of Crohns and Colitis UK, both of which fiercely defended us but the newspapers have taken it to a WHOLE new level without as you quite rightly said…without any factual evidence or statistics to back her STUPID comments!! Great post x
I appeared on the BBC Breakfast show with David yesterday morning and was shocked to be faced with the junk food fiasco – I have tried to put the story straight by writing my response to the comments in my own newspaper which has gone viral:
http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/health/crohns-rachel-flint-argues-junk-7288201
Again…thank you for doing that. We really need to let people know just how wrong those statement were.
This was all over BBC news programmes this morning as well. Two representatives of CCUK were invited onto The BBC Breakfast show to talk about fatigue in IBD and got hijacked with this. I have posted a letter to the doctor by Carrie Grant a UK tv personality with Crohns, which just happens to contain Dr Minton’s email address. Would you like to make the point directly to her.
I think many of us should email Dr. Minton and let her know how we feel.
s.minton@sgul.ac.uk
I was one of the people on the BBC show yesterday morning talking about my ostomy and Crohn’s. I hope that we managed to raise some awareness of IBD through my experiences, and also inspire others. It is awful that the amazing work they have done on fatigue got overshadowed by one comment.
When I saw this headline my first (knee jerk) thought was, “Oh good grief! If he’s advocating this, I’ll have to stop following his blog!” Luckily, unlike whoever wrote this drivel of an article, I didn’t make a snap decision based on nothing more than a sensationalist headline. I don’t have Crohn’s, but my boyfriend of seven years does. He depends on me greatly to help him filter through the “woo”, keep up with the medical advancements, and help him eat right. So thank you!
There was no way I would side with that statement. Actually, I didn’t know what to title it and I figured this would get people reading.
I don’t agree with the junk food statement at all. What needs getting to the bottom of is why the rate is increasing so much.
I’m 33, recently diagnosed with IBD no family history of it at all. I think enviromental factors must have an influence.
I’m confused to say the least.