Patient discussions

Advise patients to increase dietary fiber intake by generous consumption of fruits and vegetables, undertake regular physical activity, and maintain ideal body weight. There is no need for patients to avoid seeds, nuts, popcorn, or fruit skins. Increasing dietary fiber gradually may minimize bloating.[1] Patients should be counseled to quit smoking, and to lose weight if they are overweight or obese.​​[3][7]​​​ Advise patients to avoid nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (except aspirin for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease) and opioids if possible, because they may increase the risk of diverticular perforation, complicated diverticulitis, and diverticular bleeding.​[19][20][36][37][38][39][43][107]​​​​

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