The disease is rare in countries of Asia and Africa, where people eat high-fiber vegetable diets. Fiber is the part of fruits, vegetables, and grains that the body cannot digest. It takes on a soft, jelly-like texture in the intestines. Both kinds of fiber help make stools soft and easy to pass. Fiber also prevents constipation.
Constipation makes the muscles strain to move stool that is too hard.
It is the main cause of increased pressure in the colon. The excess pressure causes the weak spots in the colon to bulge out and become diverticula. Diverticulitis occurs when diverticula become infected or inflamed. Doctors are not certain what causes the infection. It may begin when stool or bacteria are caught in the diverticula.