APRIL 12, 2018

Micronutrient Status May Affect Surgical Outcomes in IBD

Las Vegas—Patients undergoing surgery for inflammatory bowel disease may be at increased risk for postoperative complications if they have low levels of vitamin D and zinc, new research indicates.

The increase did not reach statistical significance, but the signal is consistent with experimental evidence that reversing nutritional deficiencies may be a simple strategy for improving outcomes, the researchers said.

Assessing and optimizing micronutrients in patients before surgery “may