Lifestyle changes to help manage ulcerative colitis
Learn strategies to help reduce inflammation, avoid flares, and stay healthy.
Jan 30, 2026
Written byPatrick Sullivan
1 / 7
Slide 1
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a common health condition in the United States. Up to 3.1 million people have IBD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
IBD is a suite of conditions, most notably Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, the body’s own immune system attacks the lining of the digestive tract, leading to chronic diarrhea and abdominal pain.
“About 50 percent of my patients with IBD live normal lives,” says Rajiv Sharma, MD, a gastroenterologist based in Indiana. “Another 35 to 40 percent can live pretty normally, but it definitely affects their lives. They need to know where a bathroom is at all times. For the remainder, it’s debilitating.”
Surgery and medicine can help with IBD, but so can lifestyle changes. Here are six to consider.
Sources (33)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): IBD Facts and Stats. June 21, 2024.
- Merck Manual Consumer Version. Overview of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). January 2024.
- NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Overview of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). July 2024.
- USDA Food Surveys Research Group. Fiber intake of the U.S. population. September 2014.
- Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. Diet, Nutrition, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. 2013.
- Pituch-Zdanowska A, Banaszkiewicz A, Albrecht P. The role of dietary fibre in inflammatory bowel disease. Prz Gastroenterol. 2015;10(3):135-41.
- Kinnucan JA, Rubin DT, Ali T. Sleep and inflammatory bowel disease: exploring the relationship between sleep disturbances and inflammation. Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y). 2013 Nov;9(11):718-27.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sleep: About Sleep. May 15, 2024.
- Ali T. Sleep and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y). 2014 Nov;10(11):748-751.
- MedlinePlus. Exercise and Physical Fitness. Last updated May 8, 2020.
- Woods JA, Wilund KR, Martin SA, Kistler BM. Exercise, inflammation and aging. Aging Dis. 2012 Feb;3(1):130-40.
- Elewaut D. Linking Crohn's Disease and Ankylosing Spondylitis: It's All about Genes! PLoS Genet. 2010, 6(12): e1001223.
- Bilski J, Brzozowski B, et al. The role of physical exercise in inflammatory bowel disease. Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:429031.
- Halfvarson, J., Brislawn, C., Lamendella, R. et al. Dynamics of the human gut microbiome in inflammatory bowel disease. Nat Microbiol 2, 17004 (2017).
- Hemarajata P, Versalovic J. Effects of probiotics on gut microbiota: mechanisms of intestinal immunomodulation and neuromodulation. Therap Adv Gastroenterol. 2013 Jan;6(1):39-51.
- Chapman TM, Plosker GL, Figgitt DP. VSL#3 probiotic mixture: a review of its use in chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. Drugs. 2006;66(10):1371-87.
- Derwa Y, Gracie DJ, et al. Systematic review with meta-analysis: the efficacy of probiotics in inflammatory bowel disease. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2017 Aug;46(4):389-400.
- Merck Manual Professional Version. Overview of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Last review/revision January 2022.
- Merck Manual Professional Version. Drugs for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Last review/revision January 2022.
- Lichtenstein L, Avni-Biron I, Ben-Bassat O. Probiotics and prebiotics in Crohn's disease therapies. Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology. Volume 30, Issue 1, February 2016, Pages 81-88.
- Wilkins T, Sequoia J. Probiotics for Gastrointestinal Conditions: A Summary of the Evidence. Am Fam Physician. 2017;96(3):170-178.
- Mayo Clinic. Inflammatory Bowel Disease. December 18, 2024.
- Chang CW, Wong JM, et al. Intestinal stricture in Crohn's disease. Intest Res. 2015 Jan;13(1):19-26.
- Parkes GC, Whelan K, Lindsay JO. Smoking in inflammatory bowel disease: Impact on disease course and insights into the aetiology of its effect, Journal of Crohn's and Colitis, Volume 8, Issue 8, 1 August 2014, Pages 717–725.
- Kim ER, Chang DK. Colorectal cancer in inflammatory bowel disease: the risk, pathogenesis, prevention and diagnosis. World J Gastroenterol. 2014 Aug 7;20(29):9872-81.
- Rozich JJ, Holmer A, Singh S. Effect of Lifestyle Factors on Outcomes in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Am J Gastroenterol. 2020 Jun;115(6):832-840.
- Swanson GR, Sedghi S, et al. Pattern of alcohol consumption and its effect on gastrointestinal symptoms in inflammatory bowel disease. Alcohol. 2010 May;44(3):223-8.
- Piovezani Ramos G, Kane S. Alcohol Use in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y). 2021 May;17(5):211-225.
- Fedewa A, Rao SS. Dietary fructose intolerance, fructan intolerance and FODMAPs. Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 2014 Jan;16(1):370.
- Gibson PR. Use of the low-FODMAP diet in inflammatory bowel disease. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017 Mar;32 Suppl 1:40-42.
- Monash University. Your complete on-the-go guide to the FODMAP Diet. Accessed September 7, 2022.
- Knight-Sepulveda K, Kais S, et al. and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y). 2015 Aug;11(8):511-20.
- Gibson PR. Use of the low-FODMAP diet in inflammatory bowel disease. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017 Mar;32 Suppl 1:40-42.