Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet

Summary, in English

Patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet show vitamin deficiency and reduced subjective health status. To study the biochemical and clinical effects of B vitamin supplementation in adults with longstanding coeliac disease. 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. Fifty-seven patients (88%) completed the trial. The tHcy level was baseline median 11.7 mu mol/L (7.4-23.0), significantly higher than in matched population controls [10.2 mu mol/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. 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.

• Författare: C. Hallert; M. Svensson; J. Tholstrup; Björn Hultberg
• Avdelning/ar: Avdelningen för klinisk kemi och farmakologi
• Publiceringsår: 2009
• Språk: Engelska
• Sidor: 811-816
• Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie: Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics
• Volym: 29
• Issue: 8
• Länkar: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2009.03945.x
• Dokumenttyp: Artikel i tidskrift
• Förlag: Wiley-Blackwell
• Ämne: Gastroenterology and Hepatology
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt: ISSN: 0269-2813