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An update from the Dietary Science Foundation:
Exciting results from the study of diet for IBS
05/08/2022
Preliminary data is in from the first study the Dietary Science Foundation contributed to, diet for IBS, and the results are exciting. The dietary treatments used in the study appear to be more effective for stomach pains than drugs. More good news is that the study of diet for type 2-diabetes has been launched. Here’s an update from the Dietary Science Foundation!
The data is preliminary, but the first analyses of the study of diet for IBS appear to show a positive effect! Study participants have been divided into three different treatment groups, which have been assigned either a strict low-carbohydrate diet, a low-FODMAP diet or drug therapy. Measurements at the four-week mark have shown that stomach pain and gut symptoms have decreased or disappeared completely for around 75 percent of participants who were allotted to the dietary interventions. For the drug therapy group the number was about 60 percent.
The researchers presented this data at a large conference in the USA, but the results have yet to be published in a scientific journal. The study will run for 6 months and the most important result is how the participants feel when that time period is over. But soon the researchers will be able to analyze the study in full and we’ll know for sure how things went.
Important to find new treatments for people with IBS
We know we’re taking a risk with an early victory announcement, but at the Dietary Science Foundation we just can’t resist counting our chickens a little in advance! The study is one of the largest ever done in the area of IBS. It’s also the first well-constructed study of how a strict low-carbohydrate diet affects these kinds of gut problems. If the results continue in this vein, we will probably help to establish a new and important dietary intervention for use in healthcare.
Many people—more than a tenth of the population—have stomach pain on a regular basis. Some of them can hardly leave their homes for fear of not being able to get to a toilet in time. Every effective treatment is worth its weight in gold! So thank you everyone who has contributed to this project. It not only has the potential to improve people’s quality of life, but also national economies. Sick leave because of IBS pain is common.
The study of diet for type 2 diabetes is in full swing
We also have good news about the study of diet for type 2 diabetes. Thanks to all of you who donate money to us, we’ll soon have raised the 400,000 euros we have promised to the study, which has already started. Thirty participants have been recruited in Norway and three in Sweden. So the first steps have been taken on what will be a long but important journey.
The study’s strong point is that the researchers aim to reverse the disease process. The participants’ blood sugar should normalize using no drugs. This is an unusual approach for a study. Most often researchers will try to improve blood sugar levels, but type 2 diabetes is a disease that can be turned around. A report came out recently by the independent national authority SBU (Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services) on Diet for diabetes. The report shows clearly that there is a lack of knowledge about how to help people with type 2 diabetes improve their health.
Two studies ready for publication
As far as the study of diet for obesity goes, the researchers are working on getting it published. Hopefully this will happen in the fall. Keep your fingers crossed!
The research to see if it’s possible to estimate how much sugar someone has eaten by measuring the amount of sucrose in urine samples is also basically finished. At the moment the researchers are doing control measurements before the results can be sent for publication.
Type 1 diabetes study continues
Moving on to the study of diet for type 1 diabetes, where the researchers now have included 90 out of 120 participants in the study. Their hope is to be able to recruit the final 30 participants this fall, so the study can be finished next fall. The pandemic threw a number of wrenches into the works when the coronavirus was at its worst, since participants were unable to go to the clinic for testing. So now we’re hoping for things to go more as planned!
Platform for dietary treatments taken into use
In conclusion we can announce that a first version of the platform for dietary treatments developed by the Dietary Science Foundation is ready. It’s been made possible by the masterful efforts of David and Sofie Hallvig. The platform is already being used in the study of diet for type 2 diabetes.
As you can see, your support allows us to reach our goal: the establishment of more effective dietary treatments in healthcare! If you a not already a monthly donor, please follow this link and join the club. Many thanks!
Enjoy life and let your food do you good!
