'White diets' don't adversely affect colonoscopy preparation

(HealthDay)—A diet of low-residue white foods the day before outpatient colonoscopies is preferred by patients over clear-fluid diets and does not negatively impact bowel preparation success or colonoscopy performance, according to a study published online Aug. 6 in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Joshua Butt, B.Med., from Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues compared the effectiveness and tolerability of a low-residue diet of white-colored foods (White Diet; 115 patients) with a clear-fluid diet (111 patients) the day before colonoscopy in an endoscopist-blinded randomized noninferiority trial. All patients (average age, 52 years; 51 percent male) received a 2-liter polyethylene glycol lavage solution with ascorbate, sodium sulfate, and electrolytes, the day before for morning procedures and as a split dose for afternoon procedures.

The researchers found that bowel preparation was successful in 91 percent of patients on the clear-fluid diet versus 84 percent on the White Diet, with no difference according to diet. There was a higher bowel preparation success rate associated with the split-dose regimen versus the day-before regimen (96 versus 80 percent). Patients preferred the White Diet because of less hunger and interference with daily activities. Procedural/withdrawal time and polyp/adenoma detection were similar between the two groups

"The White Diet was preferred and better tolerated by patients without detriment to the success of bowel preparation or colonoscopy performance, especially with the split-dose regimen," the authors write.