Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsFast ReliefLong-Term RemediesLiquid DietFiberAnti-Inflammatory FoodsFoods to AvoidReduce AlcoholExerciseProbioticsSupplements
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Fast Relief
Long-Term Remedies
Liquid Diet
Fiber
Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Foods to Avoid
Reduce Alcohol
Exercise
Probiotics
Supplements
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Fast Relief for Diverticulitis Pain
Immediate relief ofdiverticulitis painis challenging. Even strategies that help diverticulitis pain fast may not seem to act fast enough when you are having an attack.
Nevertheless, these at-home strategies can help calm symptoms of a diverticulitis flare-up and lessen the time you spend in extreme pain:
How Long Does Diverticulitis Last?In about 95% of people with uncomplicated diverticulitis, it goes away on its own within a week. In about 5% of people with diverticulitis, the symptoms stay and medical treatment is needed.
How Long Does Diverticulitis Last?
In about 95% of people with uncomplicated diverticulitis, it goes away on its own within a week. In about 5% of people with diverticulitis, the symptoms stay and medical treatment is needed.
Long-Term Home Remedies for Diverticulitis
Certain changes to your diet and lifestyle won’t provide instant relief, but they can calm down a diverticulitis attack with time and help prevent future attacks.
Switching to aclear liquid dietfor a few days can help you start to feel better. A clear liquid diet includes drinks and foods such as:
Once your symptoms have improved, your healthcare provider can advise you on how to reintroduce solid foods into your diet.
Increase Fiber
In years past, a low-fiber diet was recommended for diverticular disease. It’s now known that not getting enough fiber through foods may be part of why diverticula develop in the first place.
It’s not known exactly how much fiber may help avoid symptoms. However, the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) recommends that, in general, adults eat between 20 and 30 grams of fiber per day, so this can be a helpful guideline.
Soluble vs. Insoluble Fiber: What’s the Difference?
Choose Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Foods that decrease inflammation associated with diverticulitis include:
Foods to Eat With Diverticulitis
Avoid Red Meat and Foods High in Sugar and Fat
Avoiding these foodsmay be recommended during a diverticulitis flare-up, as they may put added stress on the colon. In one study, people who ate less red meat had fewer bouts of diverticulitis.
Eating red meat and processed meat may also increase your risk of diverticular disease in the first place.A 2017 study tracked the diets of 46,418 men for 28 years. The authors found an anti-inflammatory diet that included higher amounts of green leafy vegetables, dark yellow vegetables, coffee, and tea, with lower amounts of red meat, processed meats, refined grains, and sugary beverages may help reduce the risk of diverticulitis.
Reduce Alcohol Intake
It’s usually recommended that people getenough physical activityfor their age and their fitness level. For preventing diverticulitis, there have been mixed results in studies that looked into a link between exercise and diverticular disease.
There are no specific recommendations, but it’s generally thought that exercise may be helpful in preventing some cases of diverticular disease.
Try Probiotics
There’s limited evidence for or against the use ofprobiotics(beneficial gut bacteria) as a treatment for diverticular disease.
One study showed that people with diverticulitis who took probiotics had less associated bloating, pain, and fevers. However, they didn’t have fewer diverticulitis flare-ups overall.
Talk to your healthcare provider for guidance before trying probiotics.
How to Choose a Probiotic
Spices and Supplements
Fiber supplementsmay be recommended for diverticular disease when the condition is not causing symptoms.
Other supplements and spices that have been suggested for diverticular disease include:
It’s thought that some supplements may have anti-inflammatory effects.
Unfortunately, no clinical trials have been conducted on these supplements to determine if they have benefits.
The relationship betweenvitamin Dand diverticular disease has also been studied. Research is limited, but one study showed that people with higher-than-average vitamin D levels were less likely to need hospitalization for a diverticulitis flare-up.
Best Diverticulitis Medications and the Drugs to Avoid
Summary
Using a heating pad, taking Tylenol (acetaminophen), and resting are all strategies you can employ at home to soothe diverticulitis pain fast—or at least faster.
Most home remedies for diverticulitis aim to improve symptoms over the long term and prevent future attacks. Examples include getting more fiber, avoiding red meat, exercising, and trying supplements like garlic, ginger, and vitamin D.
14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.Diverticular disease expanded information.Penn Medicine.Diverticulitis.Strate LL, Liu YL, Huang ES, Giovannucci EL, Chan AT.Use of aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs increases risk for diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding.Gastroenterology. 2011 May;140(5):1427-33. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2011.02.004National Library of Medicine.Diverticular disease and diverticulitis: Learn more - treating acute diverticulitis.National Institutes of Health. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.Eating, diet & nutrition for diverticular disease.National Library of Medicine. Medline Plus.Clear liquid diet.Ricker MA, Haas WC.Anti-inflammatory diet in clinical practice: A review.Nutr Clin Pract. 2017 Jun;32(3):318-325. doi:10.1177/0884533617700353Liu PH, Cao Y, Keeley BR, et al.Adherence to a healthy lifestyle is associated with a lower risk of diverticulitis among men.Am J Gastroenterol. 2017;112:1868-1876. doi:10.1038/ajg.2017.398Ma W, Jovani M, Nguyen LH, et al.Association between inflammatory diets, circulating markers of inflammation, and risk of diverticulitis.Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020;18:2279-2286.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2019.11.011.Lamanna L, Moran PE.Diverticular disease.Gastroenterol Nurs.2018;41:111-119. doi:10.1097/sga.0000000000000307.Morris AM, Regenbogen SE, Hardiman KM, Hendren S.Sigmoid diverticulitis: a systematic review.JAMA. 2014;311:287-97. doi: 10.1001/jama.2013.282025.Harvard Health Publishing.Defend yourself from diverticulitis.Byrd DA, Judd SE, Flanders WD, Hartman TJ, Fedirko V, Bostick RM.Development and validation of novel dietary and lifestyle inflammation scores.J Nutr. 2019 Dec 1;149(12):2206-2218. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxz165Rezapour M, Ali S, Stollman N.Diverticular disease: An update on pathogenesis and management.Gut Liver.2018;12:125-132. doi:10.5009/gnl16552.
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.Diverticular disease expanded information.Penn Medicine.Diverticulitis.Strate LL, Liu YL, Huang ES, Giovannucci EL, Chan AT.Use of aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs increases risk for diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding.Gastroenterology. 2011 May;140(5):1427-33. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2011.02.004National Library of Medicine.Diverticular disease and diverticulitis: Learn more - treating acute diverticulitis.National Institutes of Health. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.Eating, diet & nutrition for diverticular disease.National Library of Medicine. Medline Plus.Clear liquid diet.Ricker MA, Haas WC.Anti-inflammatory diet in clinical practice: A review.Nutr Clin Pract. 2017 Jun;32(3):318-325. doi:10.1177/0884533617700353Liu PH, Cao Y, Keeley BR, et al.Adherence to a healthy lifestyle is associated with a lower risk of diverticulitis among men.Am J Gastroenterol. 2017;112:1868-1876. doi:10.1038/ajg.2017.398Ma W, Jovani M, Nguyen LH, et al.Association between inflammatory diets, circulating markers of inflammation, and risk of diverticulitis.Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020;18:2279-2286.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2019.11.011.Lamanna L, Moran PE.Diverticular disease.Gastroenterol Nurs.2018;41:111-119. doi:10.1097/sga.0000000000000307.Morris AM, Regenbogen SE, Hardiman KM, Hendren S.Sigmoid diverticulitis: a systematic review.JAMA. 2014;311:287-97. doi: 10.1001/jama.2013.282025.Harvard Health Publishing.Defend yourself from diverticulitis.Byrd DA, Judd SE, Flanders WD, Hartman TJ, Fedirko V, Bostick RM.Development and validation of novel dietary and lifestyle inflammation scores.J Nutr. 2019 Dec 1;149(12):2206-2218. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxz165Rezapour M, Ali S, Stollman N.Diverticular disease: An update on pathogenesis and management.Gut Liver.2018;12:125-132. doi:10.5009/gnl16552.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.Diverticular disease expanded information.Penn Medicine.Diverticulitis.Strate LL, Liu YL, Huang ES, Giovannucci EL, Chan AT.Use of aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs increases risk for diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding.Gastroenterology. 2011 May;140(5):1427-33. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2011.02.004National Library of Medicine.Diverticular disease and diverticulitis: Learn more - treating acute diverticulitis.National Institutes of Health. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.Eating, diet & nutrition for diverticular disease.National Library of Medicine. Medline Plus.Clear liquid diet.Ricker MA, Haas WC.Anti-inflammatory diet in clinical practice: A review.Nutr Clin Pract. 2017 Jun;32(3):318-325. doi:10.1177/0884533617700353Liu PH, Cao Y, Keeley BR, et al.Adherence to a healthy lifestyle is associated with a lower risk of diverticulitis among men.Am J Gastroenterol. 2017;112:1868-1876. doi:10.1038/ajg.2017.398Ma W, Jovani M, Nguyen LH, et al.Association between inflammatory diets, circulating markers of inflammation, and risk of diverticulitis.Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020;18:2279-2286.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2019.11.011.Lamanna L, Moran PE.Diverticular disease.Gastroenterol Nurs.2018;41:111-119. doi:10.1097/sga.0000000000000307.Morris AM, Regenbogen SE, Hardiman KM, Hendren S.Sigmoid diverticulitis: a systematic review.JAMA. 2014;311:287-97. doi: 10.1001/jama.2013.282025.Harvard Health Publishing.Defend yourself from diverticulitis.Byrd DA, Judd SE, Flanders WD, Hartman TJ, Fedirko V, Bostick RM.Development and validation of novel dietary and lifestyle inflammation scores.J Nutr. 2019 Dec 1;149(12):2206-2218. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxz165Rezapour M, Ali S, Stollman N.Diverticular disease: An update on pathogenesis and management.Gut Liver.2018;12:125-132. doi:10.5009/gnl16552.
American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.Diverticular disease expanded information.
Penn Medicine.Diverticulitis.
Strate LL, Liu YL, Huang ES, Giovannucci EL, Chan AT.Use of aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs increases risk for diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding.Gastroenterology. 2011 May;140(5):1427-33. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2011.02.004
National Library of Medicine.Diverticular disease and diverticulitis: Learn more - treating acute diverticulitis.
National Institutes of Health. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.Eating, diet & nutrition for diverticular disease.
National Library of Medicine. Medline Plus.Clear liquid diet.
Ricker MA, Haas WC.Anti-inflammatory diet in clinical practice: A review.Nutr Clin Pract. 2017 Jun;32(3):318-325. doi:10.1177/0884533617700353
Liu PH, Cao Y, Keeley BR, et al.Adherence to a healthy lifestyle is associated with a lower risk of diverticulitis among men.Am J Gastroenterol. 2017;112:1868-1876. doi:10.1038/ajg.2017.398
Ma W, Jovani M, Nguyen LH, et al.Association between inflammatory diets, circulating markers of inflammation, and risk of diverticulitis.Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020;18:2279-2286.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2019.11.011.
Lamanna L, Moran PE.Diverticular disease.Gastroenterol Nurs.2018;41:111-119. doi:10.1097/sga.0000000000000307.
Morris AM, Regenbogen SE, Hardiman KM, Hendren S.Sigmoid diverticulitis: a systematic review.JAMA. 2014;311:287-97. doi: 10.1001/jama.2013.282025.
Harvard Health Publishing.Defend yourself from diverticulitis.
Byrd DA, Judd SE, Flanders WD, Hartman TJ, Fedirko V, Bostick RM.Development and validation of novel dietary and lifestyle inflammation scores.J Nutr. 2019 Dec 1;149(12):2206-2218. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxz165
Rezapour M, Ali S, Stollman N.Diverticular disease: An update on pathogenesis and management.Gut Liver.2018;12:125-132. doi:10.5009/gnl16552.
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