Could vitamin D alleviate the symptoms of patients with inflammatory bowel disease? Is a deficiency the cause of ulcerative colitis etc.? A new study conducted by researchers in Pennsylvania aims to prove just that. As part of the study, patients at a specialized clinic for inflammatory bowel disease in Philadelphia were examined. The researchers also looked at their patient files and found vitamin D deficiency in most people suffering from an acute form of inflammatory bowel disease.
Another research team from China even claims that this nutrientpositive influenceon the intestinal mucosa and is therefore suitable as an accompanying therapy. Apparently it is said to have anti-inflammatory effects and even promote the regeneration of the intestinal mucosa. Patients with vitamin D deficiency were prescribed high-dose preparations and doses significantly higher than the recommended daily intake, which is 600 IU in China. Accordingly, the researchers reported side effects such as thirst, dry mouth or fatigue. In any case, they could not determine whether the increased intake of this vitamin was really the reason for these symptoms or not. In any case, the benefits of the therapy were clearly overwhelming.
The Chinese researchers were further able to prevent relapses in the majority of patients by increasing their intake of the vitamin. The conclusion can be made that concomitant therapy with vitamin D improves the quality of life of patients with chronicinflammatory bowel diseasescan improve. Preventative measures could even prevent the disease from worsening with age. Therapy with corticosteroids could also be canceled under certain circumstances.
