The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) is a nutritional regimen, created by Dr. Sidney V. Haas and popularized by biochemist and author Elaine Gottschall, which restricts the use of complex carbohydrates (disaccharides and polysaccharides) and eliminates refined sugar, all grains and starch from the diet. It is promoted as a way of reducing the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, coeliac disease and autism. Gottschall believed that, due to damage to the microvili in the body, these microvili lack the ability to break down specific types of carbohydrates (i.e., disaccharides and polysaccharides), resulting in dysbiosis, the overgrowth of harmful bacterial flora. In a 1924 study, Haas reported, "In cases which the diet can be controlled for a sufficient long time, recovery ensues in every instance and without nutritional relapse."
In 1922, Kleinschmidt wrote a scientific paper about the efficacy of Dr Haas's diet, stating, "The prognosis in celiac disease has undergone a complete change during the last few years. The discouraging results of the previous methods of treatment have entirely disappeared since we have followed the diet of the American, Haas." In 1928, Von den Steinen reported on a study which validated the efficacy of Dr Haas' diet and verified its results. Haas also wrote a 1955 case report on 191 patients treated with the diet.
One trial of the SCD effects on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is ongoing at the Rush University Medical Center and a two-patient case study was reported in 2004.
In 2011, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center published the results of a pilot study which investigated the use of an SCD-like diet in treating IBD. 100% of patients treated with the new diet showed significant improvement in their symptoms. Additionally, the majority of subjects were able to reduce their reliance on medications to treat their IBD.
Several books written by doctors and dietitians since 1998 mention or recommend this diet for specific conditions.
Read more about Specific Carbohydrate Diet: Theory, Criticism, See Also
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