Vitamin D deficiency linked to irritable bowel syndrome

Conclusion This was a pilot, double-blind randomised controlled trial that aimed to assess whether vitamin D supplementation would benefit people with IBS and also provide data to guide future studies. As expected, supplementation with vitamin D decreased the number of participants who were deficient, but did not provide a significantly better outcome for any of the symptoms of IBS. This was a well-designed trial that used computer-generated methods to create the sequence to assign participants to study groups. They also took steps to ensure that the allocated group was not revealed to any members of the research team until all data had been collected and locked down. However, only a short-term analysis was performed and a longer period may have been required to see the full effect. As mentioned before, this was a pilot study and is therefore underpowered to provide significant findings. There may also have been seasonal variations that could have altered results. Participants were recruited following a poster campaign at a university and this would only have assessed a select group of people, and may have excluded people with very severe IBS. In addition, the conflict of interest involved with having study researchers from the company providing the supplements may have introduced bias to the reporting. IBS is a common and long-term condition where the exact cause is not known, so any further research is welcome. The findings of this study have provided grounds or further ...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Medication Source Type: news