Systematic review of randomized controlled trials: fiber supplements for abdominal pain-related functional gastrointestinal disorders in childhood.
BACKGROUND
A lack of safe and reliable treatments for abdominal pain-related functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) has prompted interest in new therapies.


OBJECTIVE
To systematically evaluate the effect of dietary fibers for treating abdominal pain-related FGIDs in children.


METHODS
In December 2011, MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating fiber supplementation in children with FGIDs.


RESULTS
Only 3 RCTs were identified, which enrolled a total of 167 children and adolescents (5–17 years old) with recurrent abdominal pain. Only 1 study used the Rome III criteria. Patients were supplemented with different dietary fiber types for 4–6 weeks. The use of dietary fibers did not influence the proportion of responders to treatment, and improvement did not occur in reported clinically relevant outcomes such as no pain or a significant decrease in pain intensity (risk ratio 1.17, 95% confidence interval 0.75–1.81).


CONCLUSIONS
There is no evidence that supplementation with fiber as a dietary manipulation may be useful for treating children with FGIDs. However, one should not overlook the fact that the main limitation for recommendation of the routine fiber use in clinical practice derives from the weak quality and paucity of available studies.
Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland. andrea.hania@gmail.com
Andrea
A
Horvath
Piotr
P
Dziechciarz
Hania
H
Szajewska
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic