Vitamin D supplements could help to ease symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a new study from the University of Sheffield has found.
A number of reports linking vitamin D and IBS have received significant media attention. A research team from the University of Sheffield's Department of Oncology and Metabolism has now reviewed and integrated all available research on the topic (4 observational studies and 3 randomised control trials [RCTs]).
They found evidence of an inverse correlation between serum vitamin D and IBS symptom severity, and some evidence that vitamin D supplementation had a positive effect in people with IBS. 2 of 3 RCTs reported a benefit with vitamin D supplementation, although the trials had some limitations. All 3 RCTs reported a relationship, either at baseline or in response to intervention, between vitamin D and QoL.
The authors said: “Collectively the studies reviewed, although restricted, offer enough justification for further work in this subject area.”
“Less equivocally,” they said, “the body of evidence accrued across multiple populations already suggests that vitamin D status assessment should be incorporated as a routine assessment alongside IBS diagnosis in routine practice to identify individuals at risk and likely to benefit from vitamin D intervention for general health as much as for IBS symptoms.”
The findings are published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
