Is it Time to Consider Vitamin D in IBD Regimen?
Vitamin D has been linked to human health benefits that extend far beyond its established actions on calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism. A recent study re-iterated that vitamin D supplementation is safe and well-tolerated in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The study findings were published in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology on 08 April 2022.
It is recognised that the availability of vitamin D is important in regulating gut mucosal immunity; with studies suggesting that vitamin D may affect gut epithelial integrity, innate immune barrier function, and the development and function of T cells. Previous observational studies have suggested a relationship between serum vitamin D levels and IBS symptoms. To further explore, Dr Qin Xiang Ng and his team conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the clinical effects of vitamin D supplementation on IBS symptom severity and quality of life (QoL) measures.
In this study, the researchers searched Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library databases and included a total of 685 patients across eight studies. They pooled continuous data with a standardized mean difference (SMD) using the DerSimonian and Laird's random-effects model. They further performed sensitivity analysis on the risk of bias and potentially "predatory" publication as well.
Key findings of the study:
- Upon analysis, the researchers found that vitamin D supplementation significantly improved IBS symptom severity scale scores, with an SMD of −0.77.
- Although they observed improvements in IBS-QoL scores, it was not statistically significant (SMD 0.54).
- Further limitations of the study include small sample sizes, a relatively young study population, limited ethnicities, and varied vitamin D dosing strategies across the studies.
The authors concluded, "Vitamin D supplementation could be part of our clinical armamentarium when managing IBS patients due to the potential efficacy and good safety profile. Further randomized, controlled trials are required to confirm the therapeutic effects."
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Keywords:
Vitamin D supplements, irritable bowel syndrome, IBS, IBS Severity Score, QoL, Quality of Life, Symtom management, Vitamin D, Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.