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Treatment of ulcerative colitis by feeding with germinated barley foodstuff: first report of a multicenter open control trial

  • Biotherapy and biological response modifiers for IBD
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Abstract

Background. Germinated barley foodstuff (GBF) is a prebiotic foodstuff that effectively increases luminal butyrate production by stimulating the growth of protective bacteria. In the first pilot study, GBF has been shown to reduce both clinical activity and mucosal inflammation in ulcerative colitis (UC). The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of GBF in the treatment of UC in a multicenter open control trial. Methods. Eighteen patients with mildly to moderately active UC were divided into two groups using a random allocation protocol. The control group (n = 7) were given a baseline anti-inflammatory therapy for 4 weeks. In the GBF-treated group (n = 11), patients received 20–30 g GBF daily, together with the baseline treatment, for 4 weeks. The response to the treatments was evaluated clinically and endoscopically. Fecal micro-flora were also analyzed. Results. After 4 weeks of observation, the GBF-treated group showed a significant decrease in clinical activity index scores compared with the control group (P < 0.05). No side effects related to GBF were observed. GBF therapy increased fecal concentrations of Bifidobacterium and Eubacterium limosum. Conclusions. Oral GBF therapy may have the potency to reduce clinical activity of UC. We believe that these results support the use of GBF administration as a new adjunct therapy for UC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nutrient Food and Feed Division, Kirin Brewery, 10-1-2 Shinkawa, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-8288, Japan

    Osamu Kanauchi

  2. Sapporo Kosei General Hospital, Sapporo, Japan

    Toshihiro Suga & Masahiro Tochihara

  3. Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Toshifumi Hibi & Makoto Naganuma

  4. Niigata University School of Medicine, Niigata, Japan

    Terasu Homma & Hitoshi Asakura

  5. Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan

    Hiroshi Nakano & Kazuya Takahama

  6. Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan

    Yoshihide Fujiyama, Akira Andoh & Tadao Bamba

  7. Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan

    Takashi Shimoyama & Nobuyuki Hida

  8. Kawasaki Medical School, Okayama, Japan

    Ken Haruma & Hideki Koga

  9. Kurume University School of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan

    Keiichi Mitsuyama & Michio Sata

  10. Kirin Brewery, Tokyo, Japan

    Masanobu Fukuda & Atsushi Kojima

Authors
  1. Osamu Kanauchi
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  2. Toshihiro Suga
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  3. Masahiro Tochihara
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  4. Toshifumi Hibi
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  5. Makoto Naganuma
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  6. Terasu Homma
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  7. Hitoshi Asakura
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  8. Hiroshi Nakano
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  9. Kazuya Takahama
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  10. Yoshihide Fujiyama
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  11. Akira Andoh
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  12. Takashi Shimoyama
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  13. Nobuyuki Hida
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  14. Ken Haruma
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  15. Hideki Koga
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  16. Keiichi Mitsuyama
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  17. Michio Sata
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  18. Masanobu Fukuda
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  19. Atsushi Kojima
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  20. Tadao Bamba
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Kanauchi, O., Suga, T., Tochihara, M. et al. Treatment of ulcerative colitis by feeding with germinated barley foodstuff: first report of a multicenter open control trial. J Gastroenterol 37 (Suppl 14), 67–72 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03326417

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03326417

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