One third of North Americans will develop diverticulosis by age sixty. These are small pockets that can form in the lining of the colon. If infected, they can lead to a more serious condition called diverticulitis.
"Diverticulitis is a real medical condition. It can be serious. It can lead to operations, surgery, colon perforations, death even in rare instances," said Dr. Sapna Syngal of Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Up to now, doctors have warned these patients to avoid eating nuts and corn, fearing this may flare the condition.
Now a recent study says that warning may not be necessary.
Researchers at Harvard teaching affiliate Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston analyzed data from more than 47,000 men.
Information was compiled from questionnaires that monitored what the men ate and their medical condition every two years.
Researchers compared intake of popcorn, nuts and corn with the incidence of diverticulitis.
"To our surprise there was no association with nut, popcorn or corn intake and the development of diverticulitis or diverticular bleeding," said Dr. Syngal.
Researchers followed participants for about eighteen years.
They say men who ate popcorn, nuts and corn more than twice a week were no more likely to develop diverticulitis than those who only ate these foods less than once a month.
The study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"The people who had higher intakes of nuts and popcorn had a lower rate of diverticulitis. So it actually went against what has been believed for a long period of time," said Dr. Syngal.
Based on their findings the researchers believe it is now unnecessary for these patients to avoid eating popcorn, nuts or corn.
"I think the question is what can you do to avoid complications and we don't have the exact answers to that right now," said Syngal.
Researchers say further studies are needed to determine if certain foods may actually protect you from diverticulitis.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Dr. Rhonda.
