SUMMARYBackground: Patients with coeliac disease are advised to keep to a lifelong gluten-free diet to remain well. Uncertainty still exists as to whether this gives a nutritionally balanced diet. Aim: To assess the vitamin nutrition status of a series of coeliac patients living on a gluten-free diet for 10 years. Methods: Thirty adults with coeliac disease (mean age, 55 years; range, 45-64 years; 60% women), in biopsyproven remission following 8-12 years of dietary treatment, were studied. We measured the total plasma homocysteine level, a metabolic marker of folate, vitamin B-6 and vitamin B-12 deficiency, and related plasma vitamin levels. The daily vitamin intake level was assessed using a 4-day food record. Normative data were obtained from the general population of the same age.Results: Coeliac patients showed a higher total plasma homocysteine level than the general population, indicative of a poor vitamin status. In accordance, the plasma levels of folate and pyridoxal 5¢-phosphate (active form of vitamin B-6) were low in 37% and 20%, respectively, and accounted for 33% of the variation of the total plasma homocysteine level (P < 0.008). The mean daily intakes of folate and vitamin B-12, but not of vitamin B-6, were significantly lower in coeliac patients than in controls. Conclusions: Half of the adult coeliac patients carefully treated with a gluten-free diet for several years showed signs of a poor vitamin status. This may have clinical implications considering the linkage between vitamin deficiency, elevated total plasma homocysteine levels and cardiovascular disease. The results may suggest that, when following up adults with coeliac disease, the vitamin status should be reviewed.

The lived experiences of coeliac disease were more varied and profound than expected. It is important to take psychological and social aspects into account in the treatment of patients with coeliac disease.

Topical butyrate has been shown to be effective in the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). Butyrate is derived from colonic fermentation of dietary fiber, and our aim was to study whether UC patients could safely increase the fecal butyrate level by dietary means. We enrolled 22 patients with quiescent UC (mean age, 44 years; 45% women; median time from last relapse, 1 year) in a controlled pilot trial lasting 3 months. The patients were instructed to add 60 g oat bran (corresponding to 20 g dietary fiber) to the daily diet, mainly as bread slices. Fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) including butyrate, disease activity, and gastrointestinal symptoms were recorded every 4 weeks. During the oat bran intervention the fecal butyrate concentration increased by 36% at 4 weeks (from 11 +/- 2 (mean +/- SEM) to 15 +/- 2 micromol/g feces) (p < 0.01). The mean butyrate concentration over the entire test period was 14 +/- 1 micromol/g feces (p < 0.05). Remaining fecal SCFA levels were unchanged. No patient showed signs of colitis relapse. Unlike controls, the patients showed no increase in gastrointestinal complaints during the trial. Yet patients reporting abdominal pain and reflux complaints at entry showed significant improvement at 12 weeks that returned to baseline 3 months later. This pilot study shows that patients with quiescent UC can safely take a diet rich in oat bran specifically to increase the fecal butyrate level. This may have clinical implications and warrants studies of the long-term benefits of using oat bran in the maintenance therapy in UC.

Coeliac women adhering to the treatment regimen for several years perceive the disease burden to be worse than men do. In the light of similar differences in their quality of life, inquiry is warranted into the way coeliac men and women are coping with the disorder.