Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) may be associated with vitamin D deficiency, revealed a new study.
A recent study published in the BMJ: Open Gastroenterology
revealed that a large number of people with IBS are vitamin-D deficient. A team of researchers from the University of Sheffield found that in around 51 patients with IBS tested 82% exhibited insufficient vitamin D levels.
‘People with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) might benefit from vitamin D screening and supplements.’
They discovered a significant association between a patient's vitamin D levels and the severity of their IBS symptoms, particularly the extent to which IBS affects their quality of life.
IBS is a chronic and debilitating functional disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract which affects around nine to 23 percent of people worldwide. Many live with the condition undiagnosed as the symptoms often cause embarrassment for patients.
Dr Bernard Corfe, lead author of the study said, "IBS is a poorly understood condition which impacts severely on the quality of life of sufferers. There is no single known cause and likewise no single known cure. Our work has shown that most IBS sufferers in our trial had insufficient levels of vitamin D. Furthermore there was an association between vitamin D status and the sufferer's perceived quality of life, measured by the extent to which they reported impact on IBS on life."
Dr Corfe added, "Our data provide a potential new insight into the condition and importantly a new way to try to manage it. It was clear from our findings that many people with IBS should have their vitamin D levels tested, and the data suggests that they may benefit from supplementation with vitamin D."