S721 Micronutrient Sufficiency in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study of Dietary Intake and Clinical Predictors

Introduction: Micronutrient deficiencies are frequently observed in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and are driven by malabsorption, inflammation, and dietary restriction. Our study aims to assess the prevalence of adequate dietary micronutrient intake in patients with IBD, while also examining the impact of clinical and treatment-related predictors on nutritional adequacy. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of patients with confirmed IBD who received care at a tertiary care gastroenterology clinic. All participants completed a validated dietary intake survey. Individual micronutrient intake levels were compared to age- and sex-specific Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) published by the Institute of Medicine. Micronutrient adequacy was compared across IBD types and states of disease activity. Multivariable linear regression examined the association between different clinical factors and the number of micronutrients for which a patient met the RDA. Results: Of the 279 patients who met our inclusion criteria, 148 (53.0%) participants had ulcerative colitis and 131 (47.0%) had Crohn’s disease. The mean age was 36.0 ± 15.1 years and 145 (52.0%) were women. Based on the RDA, the most common micronutrients with insufficient dietary intake included vitamin D (92.1%), vitamin E (77.4%), zinc (66.3%), vitamin A (62.7%), and folate (59.1%). The least common micronutrients with insufficient dietary intake were niacin (31.9%), riboflavin (28.0%), pyridoxine (25.4%), copper (24.0%), and vitamin B12 (20.4%). Although there was no difference in micronutrient intake when comparing IBD types, being in clinical remission (asymptomatic) was significantly associated with higher intake of vitamin K (P = 0.037), zinc (P = 0.027), and folate (P = 0.023), but lower intake of vitamin D (P = 0.009). In multivariable regression, being in clinical remission was associated with a greater number of these micronutrients meeting RDA (β = 0.32; 95% CI: 0.01–0.62; P = 0.045). Conclusion: Inadequate dietary intake of micronutrients remains highly prevalent among patients with IBD, while further aggravated by active disease. These findings support regular dietary and biochemical screening in IBD care, particularly among micronutrients that are more commonly to be inadequately consumed (e.g., vitamin D, vitamin E, zinc, vitamin A, folate). Future efforts should explore malabsorption, supplement adherence, and dietary restriction to guide targeted interventions.