Should You Avoid Dairy in Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis?

Watch the short video

In this short video, Dr Pranab explains what a large 2026 study means for patients with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis who are worried about dairy.

Published: 28 April 2026 | Duration: 1 minute 13 seconds

Why this question matters

This question came up recently in my clinic. I saw a patient with Crohn’s disease who was actually doing well on treatment and was in remission. He had a stricture, so we were discussing diet and low-residue food choices.

Almost casually, he asked me:

“Is it okay for me to take dairy?”

At first, I thought he was asking because of lactose intolerance.

But that was not the reason.

He had simply heard that dairy can be bad for Crohn’s disease.

That is exactly why this topic matters.

The real question is not whether every patient with IBD should eat dairy. The better question is:

Should dairy be automatically removed just because someone has Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis?

The answer is no.

A large 2026 study in Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology looked at dairy intake and the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease. If you want to read the study, you can find it here: Dairy Intake and Risk of Incident Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

What did the 2026 dairy and IBD study ask?

The study asked a very simple question:

Does dairy intake increase the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease?

This was a large long-term study involving nearly 200,000 people, followed for around 20 to 30 years, with diet recorded every few years. That kind of long-term nutrition data is difficult to generate.

The important point is that this was not looking at dairy as a treatment for IBD.

It was looking at whether dairy intake was linked with the later development of Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

What did the study find in ulcerative colitis?

The clearest finding was in ulcerative colitis.

Higher dairy intake was associated with about a 28% lower risk of developing ulcerative colitis.

That does not prove dairy prevents ulcerative colitis.

But it does challenge the common fear that dairy is generally harmful for ulcerative colitis.

What about yogurt?

Yogurt showed the strongest signal.

Higher yogurt intake was associated with about a 30% lower risk of ulcerative colitis.

That is interesting because yogurt is not just ordinary dairy. It is fermented.

That means it may interact differently with the gut microbiome compared with milk or other dairy products.

This does not mean yogurt treats ulcerative colitis.

But it does support a more balanced conversation about fermented dairy, gut bacteria and long-term gut health.

What did the study find in Crohn’s disease?

For Crohn’s disease, the study did not find a consistent association.

In simple terms:

Dairy did not increase Crohn’s disease risk.

But it also did not show a strong protective effect.

This is very important for patients who avoid dairy because they believe it causes Crohn’s disease or drives Crohn’s inflammation.

The evidence from this study does not support that fear.

Does this mean dairy treats IBD?

No.

This study does not mean:

• Dairy treats Crohn’s disease
• Dairy treats ulcerative colitis
• Everyone with IBD should increase dairy
• Yogurt can replace medical treatment
• Dairy is suitable for every patient in every situation

That would be the wrong interpretation.

The correct interpretation is more careful:

Dairy should not be automatically demonised in Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

For many patients, especially those in remission, dairy may be perfectly acceptable if they tolerate it.

What if dairy causes symptoms?

This is where individualisation matters.

Some patients do notice symptoms after dairy. This may happen because of:

• Lactose intolerance
• Bloating
• Gas
• Diarrhoea
• Active inflammation
• Post-flare gut sensitivity
• Irritable bowel type symptoms overlapping with IBD

In those patients, reducing lactose or changing the type of dairy may be reasonable.

But that is different from saying dairy causes IBD inflammation.

A patient may reduce dairy to control symptoms. That does not mean dairy is driving the disease.

What about dairy during a flare?

During an active flare, the advice may be different.

If someone has active diarrhoea, urgency, abdominal pain or severe gut sensitivity, dairy may temporarily worsen symptoms in some patients.

In that situation, I may reduce dairy for symptom control.

But again, that is not the same as saying dairy causes Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis inflammation.

During a flare, diet should be individualised carefully and guided by the patient’s symptoms, nutritional status and disease pattern.

Should Crohn’s patients with strictures avoid dairy?

Not automatically.

A stricture diet usually focuses more on fibre texture, insoluble fibre, skins, seeds, bulky foods and foods that may increase obstructive symptoms.

Dairy is not automatically the issue.

For a Crohn’s patient with a stricture, the diet should be tailored to:

• The severity of the stricture
• Whether there are obstructive symptoms
• Whether the disease is active or in remission
• Whether the patient tolerates lactose
• Overall nutrition and weight
• Risk of deficiencies

So the decision is not simply: Crohn’s equals no dairy.

It is more precise than that.

Why unnecessary food restriction can be harmful

One of the biggest mistakes I see in IBD is unnecessary restriction.

Patients often remove dairy, gluten, bread, coffee, spices, vegetables and multiple other foods at the same time.

They may feel they are being careful. But over time, this can reduce diet variety and affect nutrition.

For IBD patients, this matters because they may already be at risk of:

• Low vitamin D
• Low calcium intake
• Iron deficiency
• B12 or folate deficiency
• Weight loss
• Reduced muscle mass
• Food anxiety
• Poor diet diversity

Dairy foods can provide calcium, protein and, in some cases, vitamin D depending on fortification.

So the aim should not be to remove foods without a reason. The aim should be to identify what the patient personally tolerates.

What is the practical message for patients?

If you have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, do not automatically avoid dairy just because of the diagnosis.

A more sensible approach is:

• If you tolerate dairy and you are in remission, it may be reasonable to continue.
• If you get symptoms with milk, consider lactose intolerance or try lower-lactose options.
• If yogurt agrees with you, it may be a reasonable fermented dairy option.
• If you are in a flare, diet needs to be adjusted more carefully.
• If you have a Crohn’s stricture, your diet should be guided by stricture symptoms and specialist advice.
• If you are restricting several food groups, speak to a gastroenterologist or dietitian.

Personalise your IBD diet. Do not restrict by assumption.