What is the treatment for diverticulosis?
As diverticulosis means diverticula with no symptoms, there is no need for any treatment.
However, a high fibre diet is usually advised. A high fibre diet is generally considered a good thing for everyone anyway - whether you have diverticula or not. Adults should aim to eat between 18 and 30 grams of fibre per day. Fibre helps to make larger and softer stools and helps to prevent constipation. Also, a high fibre diet may prevent further diverticula forming. This may reduce the risk of developing problems in the future with diverticula such as diverticulitis. Many foods are high in fibre, and include:
- Fruit, vegetables, and nuts.
- Wholemeal or wholewheat bread, biscuits, and flour (for baking).
- Wholegrain breakfast cereals such as All Bran®, Weetabix®, muesli, etc.
- Brown rice, wholemeal spaghetti, and other wholemeal pasta.
- Eating more fibre from fruit and vegetables is probably better than eating more grain based fibre (bread etc).
Note: you may have some bloating and extra wind at first when you eat more fibre than you are used to. This is often temporary and tends to settle in a few weeks as your gut becomes used to the extra fibre. However, some people report that a high fibre diet causes some persistent mild symptoms such as mild pains and bloating. So, some people cannot tolerate a high fibre diet. A separate leaflet called 'Fibre and Fibre Supplements' gives more details on a high fibre diet.
Note: you should have lots to drink when you have a high fibre diet. Aim to drink at least two litres (about 8-10 cups) per day.
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