Abstract Background An experimental anti-inflammatory diet trial (DAIN) was developed for Crohn’s disease (CD) patients in Puerto Rico. We seek to assess the adherence of participants to DAIN, modifications in dietary habits, and perceived improvement in quality of life (QoL), six months after the intervention. Methods Participants were randomized at 1:1 ratio. Arm 1 (intervention) received dietary coaching, monthly cooking classes, and a comprehensive curriculum to adopt DAIN. These resources were offered to Arm 2 (habitual diet) after their participation. Six months later, individuals who completed the trial and received dietary coaching were invited to answer a follow-up survey online or in-person. Variables reflecting DAIN adherence, dietary difficulty, comfort with new foods, cooking class attendance, and perceived improvement of QoL were assessed. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant characteristics. Group-level means and proportions were calculated. The proportions across adherence levels were compared to evaluate potsential associations between DAIN adherence and outcomes. Results Twenty-seven of the 33 participants invited to complete the follow-up survey answered it. Twenty-four belonged to Arm 1 and three to Arm 2. Eight (29.6%) fully adhered to DAIN, 17 (63.0%) partially adhered, and 2 (7.4%) did not follow it. The most employed tool post-intervention was the DAIN manual, with 18 (67%) reporting its use. Fifteen participants (55.6%) were “very comfortable” introducing new foods, and the rest were “somewhat comfortable”. Results indicate that receiving dietary coaching increased confidence in introducing new foods, as 19 (70.4%) reported that it helped them understand how to modify food preparation to improve tolerance. Those who reported full adherence to DAIN had the highest average number of cooking class sessions ( = 1.9), followed by partial adherents ( = 1.0), and non-adherents ( = 0.5). Regarding dietary difficulty, 19 (70.4%) reported experiencing little to no difficulty, while 8 (29.6%) indicated challenges in following DAIN. All participants (100%) reported perceiving an improvement in their QoL with the dietary changes initiated during the study. Conclusion Six months post-intervention, the findings suggest that exposure to nutrition education resources, such as recipe manuals, cooking classes, and dietary coaching, can positively influence participants’ diets and sustained adherence. Hence, these resources can be a promising strategy for managing diet in CD patients. Continued support and adaptation of dietary tools may be essential for maximizing the long-term benefits of a nutritional protocol, which may positively impact a patient’s quality of life. References: Szczubełek M, Pomorska K, Korólczyk-Kowalczyk M, et al. Effectiveness of Crohn’s disease exclusion diet for induction of remission in Crohn’s disease adult patients. Nutrients. 2021;13(11):4112. doi:10.3390/nu13114112 Boneh RS, Westoby C, Oseran I, et al. The Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet: A comprehensive review of evidence, implementation strategies, practical guidance, and future directions. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. 2023;30(10):1888-1902. doi:10.1093/ibd/izad255 Conflict of interest: Mendez-Irizarry, Yoshimarie: No conflict of interest Rojas-Correa, Mayra: No conflict of interest Bermudez-Cartagena, Derick: No conflict of interest Ms. Santiago-Cintron, Amanda: No conflict of interest Quintana-Roman, Maria: No conflict of interest Mendez-Rios, Josem: No conflict of interest Maldonado-Contreras, Ana: No conflict of interest Torres, Esther A: Institutional research grants from: AbbVie, Genentech-Roche, Sanofi, Prometheus Laboratories
Mendez-Irizarry et al. (Thu,) studied this question.