Study Status: Not yet recruiting
Recruit Status: Not yet recruiting
Study Type: Interventional
Official Title: Vitamin D Supplementation in IBS
Brief Summary:
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a very common functional gastrointestinal disorder affecting nearly 20% of the North American population. IBS is characterized by chronic abdominal, associated with a change in bowel frequency and or consistency that lack a known structural or anatomic explanation. Current treatment for IBS is primarily symptom-based. However over a third of patients with IBS fail to respond to currently available therapies.
The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency is estimated in over a billion people world-wide . Vitamin D has potential mechanisms not only in the balance of calcium and bone homeostasis, but also a key modulator of the immune system. Vitamin D receptors (VDRs) are located on all nucleated cells including the GI tract. Thus far, there is already accumulating evidence for a role for vitamin D supplementation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A recent systematic review suggested there may be benefits of vitamin D supplementation in IBD.
Vitamin D insufficiency is widespread in patients with IBS and there is a positive association between vitamin D status and quality of life. To date, there is no US trial examining the effect of vitamin d supplementation on IBS symptoms and quality of life in patients with IBS.