Treatment of ulcerative colitis patients by long-term administration of germinated barley foodstuff: multi-center open trial.
Germinated barley foodstuff (GBF), which mainly consists of dietary fiber and glutamine-rich protein, is a prebiotic for ulcerative colitis (UC). In our previous study, we carried out a clinical trial of GBF with mildly to moderately active UC patients and showed that GBF treatment was able to attenuate the symptoms of UC in a relatively short-term. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of long-term administration of GBF in the treatment of UC in a multi-center open trial. Twenty-one patients with mildly to moderately active UC received 20-30 g of GBF for 24 weeks in an open-label protocol while baseline treatments (5-amino-salicyrate compounds and/or steroids) were continued. The response to the GBF treatment was evaluated using a clinical scoring and after 24 weeks of observation, the GBF group showed a significant decrease in clinical activity index (especially, the degree of visible blood in stools and the presence of nocturnal diarrhea) compared with the control group (p<0.05). No side effects related to GBF were observed. In conclusion, GBF can reduce the clinical activity of UC over long-term as well as short-term administration. Nutraceutical GBF therapy may have a place in long-term management of UC, but controlled studies are needed to demonstrate its efficacy in the treatment of this disorder.
Kanauchi
Osamu
O
Nutrient Food & Feed Division, Kirin Brewery Co. Ltd., Tokyo 104-8288, Japan. kanauchio@kirin.co.jp
Mitsuyama
Keiichi
K
Homma
Terasu
T
Takahama
Kazuya
K
Fujiyama
Yoshihide
Y
Andoh
Akira
A
Araki
Yoshio
Y
Suga
Toshihiro
T
Hibi
Toshifumi
T
Naganuma
Makoto
M
Asakura
Hitoshi
H
Nakano
Hiroshi
H
Shimoyama
Takashi
T
Hida
Nobuyuki
N
Haruma
Ken
K
Koga
Hideki
H
Sata
Michio
M
Tomiyasu
Nobuo
N
Toyonaga
Atsushi
A
Fukuda
Masanobu
M
Kojima
Atsushi
A
Bamba
Tadao
T
D000328:Adult; D003085:Colic / Q000139:chemically induced; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D020685:Colonoscopes; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000139:chemically induced; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005243:Feces; D001467:Hordeum / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008517:Phytotherapy; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors
D004043:Dietary Fiber; D028321:Plant Preparations