Over-all, nutrition has not played a large part in the management and treatment of IBD. The NIBD Foundation is a non-profit organization that was formed to raise awareness and foster research in the utilization of proper nutrition in the treatment of juvenile IBD.

Preliminary research supported by the Foundation has demonstrated that optimizing nutrition has resulted in marked clinical improvement in the majority of juvenile IBD patients with concurrent significant improvement in their quality of life. Furthermore, inappropriate and inadequate nutrition has been shown to have a perpetuating deleterious effect of the well being, and on the growth and development of children with IBD.

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There is increasing evidence that certain foods are detrimental, while other foods and certain nutrient supplements are beneficial to IBD patients. Consequently, it is vitally important for these patients and their families to be nutritionally educated as early as possible. It is extraordinarily essential to have knowledge of the beneficial effects of specific foods, targeted nutraceuticals and probiotics, and most importantly, avoiding the debilitating effects of ongoing exposure to  damaging foods and microparticles added to food.

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The goal of The Foundation is to foster research into the clinical significance of nutrition in the management of IBD, and to educate patients in the importance of adhering to a nutritional protocol that can now be personalized for the well-being of individual juvenile and adult IBD patients.