Glutamine for the Treatment of Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Glutamine for the Treatment of Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome
New and effective treatments are needed for patients with post-infectious irritable bowel
 syndrome (PI-IBS). We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial to assess the efficacy
 and safety of glutamine, an abundant amino acid in the body and the principal fuel for
 enterocytes, in patients who developed diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome with
 increased intestinal permeability following an enteric infection.
In a double-blind trial, eligible adults with post-infectious IBS with increased intestinal
 permeability were randomly assigned to receive either glutamine (5 g three times daily) or
 placebo for eight weeks. The primary end point was the proportion of patients who had a
 reduction of ≥50 on the Irritable Bowel Severity Scoring System (IBS-SS).
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  men and women age 18-72 years old who developed post-infectious diarrhea-predominant
 IBS (D-IBS)

 -  increased intestinal permeability on Lactulose/Mannitol permeability test

 -  able and willing to cooperate with the study

 -  *absence of alcohol or NSAIDs ingestion for 2 weeks prior to inclusion into study and
 throughout the study duration

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  current participation in another research protocol or unable to give informed consent

 -  women with a positive urine pregnancy test or breastfeeding

 -  history of inflammatory bowel disease, lactose intolerance, and/or celiac sprue

 -  + hydrogen breath test for bacterial overgrowth

 -  + antiendomysial antibody titer

 -  use of nonsteroidal antinflammatory drug(NSAIDs) 2 weeks before or during the study

 -  known allergy to glutamine

 -  abdominal surgery except for removal of gallbladder, uterus, or appendix

 -  Abnormal blood urea nitrogen(BUN) and/or creatinine