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Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten‐free diet
Author(s) -
HALLERT C.,
SVENSSON M.,
THOLSTRUP J.,
HULTBERG B.
Publication year - 2009
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.1365-2036.2009.03945.x
Subject(s) - medicine , coeliac disease , homocysteine , placebo , gastroenterology , pyridoxine , b vitamins , population , gluten free , vitamin b12 , vitamin , riboflavin , disease , biochemistry , chemistry , alternative medicine , environmental health , pathology
Summary Background Patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten‐free diet show vitamin deficiency and reduced subjective health status. Aim To study the biochemical and clinical effects of B vitamin supplementation in adults with longstanding coeliac disease. Methods In a double blind placebo controlled multicentre trial, 65 coeliac patients (61% women) aged 45–64 years on a strict gluten‐free diet for several years were randomized to a daily dose of 0.8 mg folic acid,0.5 mg cyanocobalamin and 3 mg pyridoxine or placebo for 6 months. The outcome measures were psychological general well‐being (PGWB) and the plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) level, marker of B vitamin status. Results Fifty‐seven patients (88%) completed the trial. The tHcy level was baseline median 11.7 μmol/L (7.4–23.0), significantly higher than in matched population controls [10.2 μmol/L (6.7–22.6) ( P < 0.01)]. Following vitamin supplementation, tHcy dropped a median of 34% ( P < 0.001), accompanied by significant improvement in well‐being ( P < 0.01), notably Anxiety ( P < 0.05) and Depressed Mood ( P < 0.05) for patients with poor well‐being. Conclusions Adults with longstanding coeliac disease taking extra B vitamins for 6 months showed normalized tHcy and significant improvement in general well‐being, suggesting that B vitamins should be considered in people advised to follow a gluten‐free diet.