10 Vitamins You May Need if You Have Crohn’sInflammatory Bowel Disease Home Vitamins for Crohn's Disease During flares, you may not be able to eat much healthy food, or anything else. And your body won’t absorb nutrients well. Taking vitamins can ease your mind and give your body what it needs. Your doctor can tell you which ones you're short on based on how Crohn's affects your body and what drugs you take. Crohn's makes it harder to nourish yourself. This can make you feel run-down and sick. And it can keep your medication from working well. It can stop kids from growing normally, too. You may not get enough nutrients because: Your gut is inflamed or damaged. It's hard to absorb carbohydrates, fats, water, and many vitamins and minerals from food. Surgery for Crohn's can also cause this problem if too much of your small intestine is removed. You have no desire to eat. This can happen because of pain, diarrhea, anxiety, and changes in taste.
As a result, you don't eat enough. You take Crohn's drugs. Some make it harder to absorb nutrients. You have bleeding inside your body. This can lead to anemia, which can lower your iron levels. Nutrients You May Be Missing With Crohn's, you are more likely to have lower levels of:If you've had surgery in the lower part of your small intestine, you may not absorb enough of this. You can get a B12 vitamin, injection, or nasal spray.Some Crohn's drugs, like methotrexate and sulfasalazine, lower levels of folic acid in your body. Try a daily 1-milligram dose of a folate supplement.Steroids for Crohn's disease can weaken bones and make it hard to absorb this key mineral. If your body can't digest milk or milk products, you're even more likely to be short on calcium. Up to half of people with Crohn's have thinning bones. Taking extra supplements -- often 1,500 milligrams of calcium a day -- will help keep bones strong and prevent other problems.It helps your body absorb calcium for strong bones, but people with Crohn's disease often don’t have enough.
Your doctor may suggest a daily supplement of 800 international units. Vitamins A, E, and K. Surgery can make it hard for your body to absorb fats. That lowers your levels of these vitamins.It's the best treatment for anemia from blood loss in your intestines. Your doctor may tell you to take iron tablets, liquid, or infusions. Potassium, magnesium, and zinc. Your doctor may suggest a daily supplement to raise your levels. Almost any diet expert will tell you it's better to get vitamins and minerals from foods than from a pill. For some people with Crohn's disease, that's not possible. Certain healthy foods, like high-fiber nuts and seeds, may trigger their symptoms. Crohn's, especially when it's active, can make your body work harder. You may need more calories and nutrients than other people. In these cases, vitamin supplements can help fill the gaps. If you think you're lactose intolerant and can’t digest dairy, ask your doctor to test you for it. You may be able to enjoy dairy foods if you take lactase pills.
Work With Your Doctor While supplements may be a good idea for you, don't decide by yourself. Talk to your doctor first. Some can affect the way your Crohn's drugs work or make your symptoms worse. He may want to test your levels of iron, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and other vitamins and minerals. What you need may also depend on where the damage is in your small intestine. Together, you can decide which supplements may help you feel your best.One of the most common — and potentially serious — side effects of Crohn's disease is malnutrition.“Due to the chronic inflammation and irritation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract associated with Crohn’s disease, you’re at a higher risk for nutrient deficiency,” explained Rachael Wapniak, RD, a registered dietitian at New York Hospital Queens, in New York City.“More specifically, individuals with Crohn’s are at risk for protein, energy, and vitamin deficiencies because they have trouble absorbing certain nutrients in affected areas of their intestines.”
In addition to inflammation in the GI tract, other Crohn's symptoms — such as decreased appetite, chronic diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, and bloating — and surgical removal of part of the intestines can all lead to nutrient deficiencies as well, necessitating dietary supplements for Crohn’s.“As a result of these vitamin and nutrient deficiencies, you’re at a much greater risk for weight loss, anemia, muscle loss, osteoporosis, and osteomalacia (soft bones),” Wapniak said.To make up for any nutrient deficiency, especially vitamin deficiencies, supplementation with these vitamins and other nutrients is sometimes necessary, said Ralf Jaeger, PhD, a supplement researcher at the consulting company Increnovo in Milwaukee and a member of the American Gastroenterological Association.You’re likely to be missing certain nutrients more than others.“The main vitamins recommended for people with digestive disorders are the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K,” said Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, author of IBS for Dummies and a medical advisory board member of the nonprofit Nutritional Magnesium Association.“
This is because they are not absorbed as quickly as water-soluble vitamins and tend to get pulled out more readily in people with diarrhea.”Here are the vitamins and minerals you may be missing and why they’re important for you:Vitamin B12 aids in lowering homocysteine levels and may decrease risk for heart disease. It also helps make new cells and break down fatty acids and amino acids, protects nerve cells and encourages their normal growth, and helps create red blood cells.Folate is a B vitamin (B9), vital for new cell creation. It helps prevent brain and spine defects when taken in early pregnancy. Folate can also lower levels of homocysteine, reduce heart disease risk, possibly reduce risk for colon cancer, and help offset breast cancer risk among women who consume alcohol.Vitamin D helps maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus which can help strengthen bones and reduce fractures. “The main supplement source of vitamin D is cod liver oil,” Dr. Dean said.Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant, neutralizing unstable molecules that can damage cells.“
If you take vitamin E as a supplement, make sure it is mixed with tocopherols with both alpha and gamma fractions,” advised Dean. Check the supplement label to make sure it lists alpha-tocopherol, considered the most beneficial form.Vitamin K activates proteins and calcium essential to blood clotting, and it may help prevent hip fractures.Vitamin A is important for vision, keeping tissues and skin healthy, and bone growth. The main supplement source of vitamin A is cod liver oil.Magnesium assists in many chemical reactions in the body and works with calcium in muscle contraction, blood clotting, and regulation of blood pressure. It also helps build bones and teeth.Zinc helps form many enzymes and proteins and helps create new cells. It’s also necessary for taste, smell, and wound healing.Calcium builds and protects bones and teeth, helps with muscle contractions and relaxation, and plays a role in hormone secretion and activation, nerve impulse transmission, and blood clotting. It also helps maintain healthy blood pressure.
Potassium is important for balancing fluids in the body. It also helps maintain a steady heartbeat, sends nerve impulses necessary for muscle contractions, and may lower blood pressure.Other ways to boost your nutritional health include:Probiotics: “Consuming probiotics has been shown to restore the balance of the gut micro flora, thereby supporting healthy immune functions and digestive health,” Dr. Jaeger said.Fish oil: A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that intake of fish oil may help keep people with Crohn’s disease in remission.Protein: If you have muscle loss, your physician or dietitian may recommend protein as a dietary supplement.Dietary supplements are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), so it’s important to use them with caution.“You shouldn’t use a vitamin or supplement to address an issue directly related to an illness, especially one that may result in changes in absorption patterns of nutrients, without guidance from a health care professional,” Jaeger said.