According to a new study published in the journal, Nature, increased consumption of saturated fat, such as that typical of the Western diet, may increase the risk of colitis and may also increase some of the severity of its symptoms. That study, led by Eugene Chang found that saturated fats, especially from dairy foods, play a major role in changing the makeup of some of the bacteria found in the gut, allowing some negative types to outnumber the good gut bugs which then increase incidences of inflammation and subsequent damage. Chang, is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago.

Colitis, an often painful swelling which occurs in the large intestine triggers symptoms that can include chronic diarrhea and other issues to the point of needing hospitalization. Unchecked, colitis can be fatal. In some people, colitis is genetic, however it is strongly agreed that the issue is worsened by environment, namely from the main diet that is eaten.

In an initial study, mice that were bred to be predisposed to colitis were given a typical Western style diet including an increased level of milk fats, making up nearly forty percent of their overall calories. That increase in saturated fats from the milk lead to a strong growth of a bacterium called bilophila wadsworthia or b. wadsworthia. That particular bacteria type is found at very high levels in nearly all patients who have inflammatory bowel disease, including colitis and others.

Saturated fats are typically hard for the body to break down during digestion. Instead of being broken down in the stomach like other nutrients, those fats are pushed along into the intestinal tract. To break those fats down, the body releases additional bile which is high in sulfur. Some of the intestinal bacteria are killed by the bile, however b. wadsworthia actually thrives on it. The combination of the increased sulfur as well as the waste from the b. wadsworthia waken and damage the intestinal wall.

Doctors are further frustrated by the traditional methods of treating colitis which is described as hit or miss at best. In some cases, the treatment may be even more dangerous to the patient as the disease itself. Some doctors prescribe a combo of anti-inflammatory drugs and immuno suppressant medications which increases the risk of infection to an unacceptable level. This study and another, similar study suggests that people be treated with other methods that increase the helpful bacteria and microbes while lessening the bad.