Treatment of ulcerative colitis with germinated barley foodstuff feeding: a pilot study

Background: Germinated barley foodstuff (GBF) has been shown to attenuate i ntestinal injury in animal models, largely by increasing luminal short-chai n fatty acid production. Aim: To investigate the safety and efficacy of GBF in the treatment of ulce rative colitis (UC). Methods: Ten patients with active UC received 30 g of GBF daily for 4 weeks in an open-label treatment protocol while the baseline anti-inflammatory t herapy was continued, The response to treatment was evaluated clinically an d endoscopically. Pre- and post-treatment stool concentrations of short-cha in fatty acids were measured by gas-liquid chromatography, Results: Patient s showed improvement in their clinical activity index scores, with a signif icant decrease in the score from 6.9 +/- 1.4 to 2.8 +/- 1.5 (mean +/- S.E.M ., P < 0.05). The endoscopic index score fell from 6.1 +/- 2.3 to 3.8 +/- 2 .3 (P < 0.0001). Patients showed an increase in stool butyrate concentratio ns after GBF treatment (P < 0.05). No side-effects were observed. Conclusions: Oral GBF therapy may have a place in management of ulcerative colitis, but controlled studies are needed to demonstrate its efficacy in t he treatment of this disorder.