Dietary Polyphenols as Adjunctive Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

What was studied

This review pooled trials of dietary polyphenols. They were added to usual care for bowel disease. The team looked at ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease apart. It searched many databases up to 20 August 2026. It looked at both benefit and safety. It found 19 randomized trials with 1048 people.

What they found

In ulcerative colitis, polyphenols were linked to lower SCCAI scores. Quality of life scores also rose. Clinical response and clinical remission both favored polyphenols. Endoscopic remission favored them too, but that estimate was imprecise. Blood CRP showed no clear pooled effect. The Crohn's disease trials were not pooled.

What it means for patients

The team says curcumin has the widest add-on data in ulcerative colitis. Data in Crohn's disease are still lacking.

Why it is not certain yet

For several outcomes, the estimates were imprecise or depended on study design. The endoscopic remission estimate was also sensitive to bias risk. Safety reports varied and were sparse, with no steady sign of more harm. A review can only be as good as the studies in it.

Source

Dietary Polyphenols as Adjunctive Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

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