Antioxidant Supplements and Gastrointestinal Diseases: A Critical Appraisal

The gastrointestinal tract digests and absorbs dietary nutrients; protects the body against physical and chemical damage from contents in its lumen; provides immunity against external antigens and keeps an optimum environment for the gut microbiota. These functions cannot be performed normally in several diseases of which the following are discussed here: irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Because these diseases are associated with oxidative stress, a host of antioxidant supplements are used for maintenance and recovery of the gut functions. However, the benefits of these supplements are not established. The available 80 human trials were rated for levels of confidence and for benefits of the antioxidant supplements. For Crohn's disease, the supplements for which clear benefits occurred in at least two studies were: allopurinol, Boswellia serrata (frankincense or shallaki), Artemesia species (wormwood), Tripterygium wilfordii (L éi gōng téng) and omega-3-fatty acids. Similar beneficial supplements for ulcerative colitis were: allopurinol, Matricaria chamomilia (chamomile), Curcuma longa (curcumin in turmeric) and omega-3-fatty acids. There was also a clear benefit for ulcerative colitis in two studies where a multiherba l Chinese medicine preparation and an Ayurvedic medicine preparation were used. For irritable bowel syndrome, there was only a marginal benefit of some of the antioxidant supplements. ...
Source: Medical Principles and Practice - Category: Internal Medicine Source Type: research