THE CROHN'S DISEASE EXCLUSION DIET (CDED) IS EFFECTIVE FOR MANY

The Crohn's Disease Exclusion Diet (CDED) was crafted by Dr. Ari Levine and colleagues to help patients with Crohn's disease – and it seems to work for about 70 % of patients. It's based on the idea that different foods and food additives can disrupt the intestinal surface and create a leaky gut. The leaky gut then stimulates the immune system to overreact and cause Crohn's disease and all its problems. 

The CDED targets:

• Emulsifiers that destroy the mucus that sits on the surface of the intestine
• High fat foods (especially those from animals) that change the intestinal microbiome in an unhealthy way, called dysbiosis
• Gluten which can alter cell connections and allow penetration of the intestine

The CDED Eliminates:

• Gluten, yeast
• Dairy products
• Animal Fats and processed meats
• Foods with emulsifiers (so most processed foods)
• Refined sugar, but not high fiber carbohydrates

And it contains up to 18-20 grams of fiber each day.

Results

Dr Levine and his colleagues studied 47 patients with Crohn's, 34 were children, 9 and older, and the rest were young adults (Sigall-Boneh and others, Inflamm Bowel Disease, 2014, pages 1-8). For 14 who had just been diagnosed, the CDED was their first treatment while others had Crohn's disease for up to 13 years. Seventy percent (70%) went into clinical remission within 6 weeks and remained there for the entire time. He also found that 14 of 18 (78%) showed no evidence of active disease when they had a MRI or colonoscopy.