What are the main causes of Diverticulitis?
The main cause of diverticulitis disease is thought to be a low-fiber diet. Diverticulitis was first found in USA in the early 1900s. It was about the time that processed foods were introduced to the American diet. Many processed foods contain refined, low-fiber flour. Unlike whole-wheat flour, refined flour has no wheat bran. Fiber is also the part of fruits, vegetables, and grains that the body cannot digest. Some fiber dissolves easily in water (soluble fiber). It takes on a soft, jelly-like texture in the intestines. Some fiber passes almost unchanged through the intestines (insoluble fiber). Both kinds of fiber help make stools soft and easy to pass. Fiber also prevents constipation. Constipation makes the muscles strain to move stool that is too hard. Constipation is the main cause of increased pressure in the colon. The excess pressure can contribute to creating the weak spots that bulge out in the colon to become diverticula. Diverticulitis and diverticulosis disease is common
