Dietary Sugar and Sweetened Beverage Intake Increases Inflammatory Bowel Disease Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background and Aims: The impact of dietary sugar intake on the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease is unclear, with inconsistent findings across studies. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to clarify how sugar consumption contributes to the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) using the most recently available data. Methods: A library informationist retrieved relevant articles from PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, and Scopus. Two independent reviewers screened the abstracts and full texts, yielding 45 studies for inclusion. Meta-analyses estimated odd ratios using random effect models. Results: 11 prospective and 34 retrospective studies reported data on sugar intake and IBD risk. Pooled analysis showed that added sugar intake was associated with increased risk of Crohn's disease (OR 1.66; 95% Cl 1.21–2.29; n = 523,730; 14 studies) and ulcerative colitis (OR 1.59; 95% CI 1.25–2.02; n = 787,228; 18 studies). Similarly, soda/sweetened beverage intake was associated with increased risk of Crohn's disease (OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.18–2.12; n = 328,716; 12 studies) and ulcerative colitis (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.23–2.391; n = 328,642; 13 studies). Conclusions: Sugar and soda/sweetened beverage intake were associated with an increased risk of developing both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Although additional prospective investigation is warranted, current data suggest that reduction of sugar consumption might help reduce the risk of inflammatory bowel disease.