Nuts and Corn and Diverticulitis

Patients with diverticular disease — even those who have no histories of diverticulitis — are often advised to avoid seeds, nuts, and other foods with poorly digested particles. This recommendation has been based on the belief that such materials could lodge within diverticula or otherwise cause diverticulitis.

Now, researchers have assessed the incidence of diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding in 47,228 Health Professionals Follow-Up Study participants who answered medical questionnaires every 2 years and food frequency questionnaires every 4 years from 1986 through 2004. At baseline, the men were aged 40 to 75 and had no histories of diverticular disease.

Nut and popcorn consumption were inversely associated with the risk for diverticul…