Search results

The purpose of this paper is to verify the possible associations between dietary components and the intestinal microbiota in clinical parameters of inflammatory bowel disease.

In this review, a search in PubMed and Bireme databases was performed. The authors included randomized clinical trials published between 2005 and 2017, only in adult humans with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

Six articles were included by the end of the search. The most widely used intervention was the use of prebiotics, including fructooligosaccharides or fructooligosaccharides with inulin, followed by probiotics. The main findings regarding the microbiota were the increase in the total amount of bacteria and variability (phyla). Clinically, there was improvement in inflammation seen in parameters such as C-reactive protein, interleukins and tumor necrosis factor alpha.

Dietary interventions, especially from symbiotics, can modulate the microbiota, mainly in relation to time, when compared pre- and post-supplementation, and this positively interferes with clinical parameters of inflammatory bowel diseases. However, the studies were quite heterogeneous in population, methodology, intervention, mycobiota analysis and inflammatory markers.

Titanium is a naturally occurring mineral in the form of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and is one of the most widely used food additives. The purpose of this review article is to show the importance of the accumulation of this mineral in the gut and its relation with inflammatory processes.

This is a literature review study from 2002 to 2016, focusing on studies with TiO₂ and its relation with inflammatory bowel diseases.

Articles describe that TiO₂ is resistant to gastrointestinal degradation, as it has high stability, and that its particles, ingested daily, may bind to biomolecules in the lumen or be absorbed by the intestinal mucosa, accumulating in the macrophages of lymphoid tissue in the gut, thus causing or aggravating the inflammatory response in the inflamed bowel.

There is a limited number of studies on the long-term impact of dietary microparticles in animal models, in healthy subjects and in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.

It is necessary to regulate the amount of TiO₂ used in industrialized products.

The high consumption of processed foods, as opposed to a healthy diet based on the balanced consumption of nutrients, is relevant, as it may lead to or exacerbate intestinal inflammation.

This review indicates that titanium particles may mediate toxicological processes leading to an abnormal increase in intestinal permeability, which may be particularly aggravating in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.

Increased evidence for the health benefits of probiotics for health restoration coupled with the consumer's inclination towards a safe, natural and cost-effective substitute for drugs have led application of probiotics as a pharmaceutical agent and are rapidly moving in clinical usage. In this context, this article attempts to highlight the potential of probiotics as a pharmaceutical agent.

Endeavor has been made to explore the significance of probiotics for the modulation of gut ecology and their action. Potentiality of probiotics for their exploitation as a pharmaceutical agent has also been justified. Limitations of probiotic therapy and the various considerations for probiotic therapy have also been delineated.

Probiotic organisms influence the physiological and pathological process of the host by modifying the intestinal microbiota, thereby affecting human health. Beneficial effects of probiotics as a pharmaceutical agent seem to be strain and dose dependent and more efficacious with their early introduction. Combination of various probiotics proved to be more efficacious than single strain for exhibiting prophylactic activities.

Reviewed literature indicated that it is difficult to generalize for the beneficial effect of all probiotics for all types of diseases as efficacy of probiotics is strain-dependent and dose-dependent and its clinical application needs long-term investigations.

Clinical trials have displayed that probiotics may alleviate certain disorders or diseases in humans especially those related to gastro-intestinal tract.

Ingestion of fermented dairy products containing probiotic cultures may provide health benefits in certain clinical conditions such as antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, rotavirus-associated diarrhoea, inflammatory bowel disease, inflammatory bowel syndrome, allergenic diseases, cancer, Helicobacter pylori infection and lactose-intolerance. Application of probiotics as a pharmaceutical agent is recommended.

The purpose of this study is to explore the association of serum retinol and number of circulating inflammatory cells and disease activity in patients with ulcerative colitis.

A total of 60 patients with ulcerative colitis were enrolled in a cross-sectional pilot study. Patients were recruited from specialized clinic of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran between April and August 2015. Mayo clinic index was used to assess clinical disease activity score. Blood samples were collected. Serum retinol was assessed using HPLC to determine vitamin A status. Complete blood count and lymphocyte phenotyping were performed by automated hematology analyzer and flow-cytometric analysis, respectively.

According to Mayo scoring, 68.33 per cent of patients had mild and 31.66 per cent had moderate or severe disease activity. About 43.33 per cent of patients were vitamin A deficient, with 23.33 per cent having moderate to severe deficiency (serum retinol < 20 µg/dl). Lower levels of serum retinol and higher count and percentages of CD3+, CD8+ T cells and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio were statistically associated with disease activity according to univariate analysis (p = 0.002, 0.037, <0.001, 0.031, 0.002 and 0.039); however, in binary logistic regression, only lower levels of serum retinol were independently associated with disease activity with a OR of 0.564 (p = 0.021; 95 per cent CI 0.35-0.92).

Vitamin A deficiency was detected in this study population. Patients with moderate to severe disease activity demonstrated lower serum retinol, higher CD8+ T cells and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio compared to patients with mild disease activity.

The purpose of this study is to examine knowledge and perceptions of risk surrounding chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs) and intergenerational development, as well as practices used to acquire CID information among unaffected first- and second-generation South Asian immigrant parents and children in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario.

Fifty-four in-depth interviews with parents and children (18 parents, 36 children) were conducted by trained facilitators, recorded, transcribed and analyzed qualitatively.

Findings reveal that although CIDs disproportionately affect South Asian immigrants, this group has low knowledge and awareness of CID symptoms, risk factors and conditions. Yet when equipped with some knowledge about CIDs, participants linked their increased risk of CIDs to perceived risks in their broader environments such as climate variations, pollution, unhealthy food environments and health system neglect, that although yearning to change these factors, felt unable to modify their risks as factors were beyond their control. Although information is critical to manage CIDs, the findings reveal important and divergent knowledge pathways and practices used among first- and second-generation parents and children, particularly related to health-care settings and academic resources, underscoring generational disparities in knowledge acquisition.

The findings suggest that a multi-sector, multi-tiered approach built around a series of structural interventions, programs and policy changes is needed to address CID knowledge and awareness gaps and entrenched culturally insensitive health care to create more equitable access to healthy, safe and responsive environments and care systems for CID management.

This article outlines the experience of conducting Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis research into the chronic illness of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, an incurable condition of the gastro-intestinal tract which results in numerous physically and psychologically symptoms that are difficult to live with, by a researcher who shares the same condition. It considers the complex nature of researcher positioning from a nuanced, relational rather than binary insider/outsider position (Berger, 2015; Hayfield and Huxley, 2015). Additionally, the importance of reflexivity when conducting such personal, reciprocal qualitative research is brought to life, illustrating how such reflexivity deepens the relationship to the research, increases understanding of the interpretations and in turn its validity adds to the trustworthiness of both the endeavour and the written account (Etherington, 2007; Oakley, 2016).

Conducting research into a medical condition that the researcher also experiences brings its own particular challenges (Hofmann and Barker, 2017). When the chosen methodology is Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, with its in-depth, relational nature, those challenges intensify (Smith, 2009).

Using researcher journal extracts, the lived experience of researching whilst experiencing a chronic illness is explored. This includes the psychological impact of experiencing deep empathy for others living with IBD, managing the impact of increased disease knowledge, researching through fatigue and experiencing the claustrophobia of living with and researching one's own condition.

Finally, tactics for surviving such research are provided in a bid to enable researchers and supervisors embarking on similar projects, to successfully manage the research rollercoaster ride even when it's in the middle of a Hurricane.

The purpose of this paper was to investigate the impact of specific carbohydrate restriction (polysaccharides and disaccharides) in the form of the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) in treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

A female patient diagnosed with diarrhea predominant IBS was assigned to the SCD for six months. The diet occurred in phases and was advanced based on the individual’s tolerance level under the guidance of a registered dietitian. Quality of life was measured by a pre- and post-IBS severity score questionnaire. Gastrointestinal symptoms were measured by self-assessment of IBS symptoms using a seven-point Likert-like scale, with −3 = substantially worse to +3 = substantially better. Probiotics were consumed throughout the duration of the study.

The quality of life severity score significantly improved from a severity of 315 (with 500 being the most severe) to 15. The initial symptoms from the first day on the diet compared to the total period for bloating, abdominal pain/discomfort, flatulence/wind, diarrhea, bowel urgency, stool consistency, stool frequency, energy levels, incomplete evacuation and abdominal rumbling were improved significantly (p < 0.0005). The SCD diet significantly improved the quality of life and IBS symptoms in a female patient with IBS-diarrhea.

This study is the first of its kind to evaluate the efficacy of the SCD to treat IBS. The SCD should be considered a therapeutic option to treating IBS after fermentable carbohydrate restriction.

Notes that people with food allergies and intolerances may not always receive great sympathy from health professionals. Underlines the importance of treating these problems seriously and sets out definitions of intolerance, allergy and aversion. Outlines a range of disorders such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis where food allergy or intolerance may be implicated, and also looks at a range of foods which seem to cause problems. Lists methods of diagnosis for food allergy and intolerance and concludes that the number of sufferers is increasing.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of multiple functions and their underlying mechanisms for two common spices, garlic and onion, containing organosulphur compounds.

Literature review of chemistry, physiology, molecular biology, clinical studies.

Both garlic and onions exert their effects on human health via multiple different functions, including antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. The organosulphur compounds in these spices scavenge oxidizing agents, inhibit the oxidation of fatty acids, thereby preventing the formation of pro‐inflammatory messengers, and inhibit bacterial growth, via interaction with sulphur‐containing enzymes.

Currently available information on the optimal amount for consumption for each spice is insufficient.

This review is unique in its comprehensive nature, considering multiple different effects of the spices examined as well as multiple studies from molecular to clinical approaches.