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Bran supplementation in the treatment of irritable bowel sgndrome
Author(s) -
SNOOK J.,
SHEPHERD H. A.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
alimentary pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.308
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1365-2036
pISSN - 0269-2813
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2036.1994.tb00323.x
Subject(s) - medicine , irritable bowel syndrome , placebo , bran , outpatient clinic , gastroenterology , physical therapy , alternative medicine , raw material , chemistry , organic chemistry , pathology
SUMMARY Background: Irritable bowel syndrome remains the commonest reason for referral to a gastroenterology clinic. Patients with irritable bowel syndrome are frequently advised to increase their intake of bran fibre, despite inconclusive experimental evidence of benefit. Methods: The effect of dietary supplementation with a bolus of bran fibre (12 g/day) was studied in a block‐randomized, placebo‐controlled, crossover study of 80 patients with irritable bowel syndrome referred to a District General Hospital outpatient clinic. Comparison of the benefits of bran and placebo was based upon personal assessment of individual and overall symptom profiles, determined from a simple daily symptom score and post‐treatment interview. Results: Overall symptomatic improvement was reported with bran by 52% and with placebo by 54% of patients. Bran supplementation was no more effective than placebo in improving individual symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, and for wind‐related symptoms it was significantly less effective ( P < 0.001). Conclusion: Dietary supplementation with bran is of no value in the treatment of patients with irritable bowel syndrome referred to a hospital clinic.