The Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory (NIMML) research team
at Virginia Tech has discovered important new information on the efficacy of Conjugated
Linoleic Acid (CLA) in treating Crohn's disease,
a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
CLA is a naturally occurring acid found in meat
and dairy products known for its anti-cancer
and immune modulatory properties.
In collaboration with the Division of Gastro-enterology and Hepathology at University of
North Carolina School of Medicine and the
Wake Forest Medical Center, researchers
found that Crohn's patients who took supple-mentary CLA showed noticeable improvement.
"In our recent open label study of CLA as a supplement in study subjects with mild to moderate CD there was a marked improvement
in disease activity and quality of life in 50% of
the subjects. CLA was well tolerated by all
of the study subjects. These findings are very encouraging and will need to be verified in a
randomized controlled trial," said a research
team specializing in Gastroenterology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The two main manifestations of IBD Crohn's
and ulcerative colitis afflict over 1.4 million
people in the United States. Symptoms include abdominal cramping,fever, fatigue, loss of
appetite, skin and mouth ulcers, and diarrhea
or constipation. In addition, the risk of
developing colorectal cancer increases by
about one percent yearly in IBD patients.
Currently, there is no cure for Crohn's disease
and the exact causes of it aren't fully understood.
CLA supplementation provides those with mild
to moderate IBD an effective nutrient-based treatment without the unwanted side effects
of many synthetic drugs. "Furthermore, we have demonstrated that probiotic bacteria can produce CLA locally and suppress colitis. Therefore, CLA can be administered directly in capsules or indirectly through CLA-producing probiotic bacteria," said the researchers.
NIMML strives to develop safer and more effective therapies for human chronic inflam-matory diseases from Nature's own medicine cabinet. To achieve this, NIMML uses advanced computational modeling in addition to mechanistic and clinical experimentation.
"The validation of the anti-inflammatory actions
of CLA in the gut is in line with our goal because CLA is a natural fatty acid found in grass-fed animal products: milk, butter, cheese, and meat with fat intact. Other good sources of CLA include Evening Primrose Oil, Safflower Oil and Flaxseed Oil.
CLA is a naturally-derived anti-inflammatory compound with therapeutic and prophylactic
potential.
These findings, reported in the most recent edition of Clinical Nutrition, were awarded the American College of Gastroenterology Presidential Poster of distinction for human clinical trials.
Story Source: Virginia Tech,
Tech (2012, March 19)
"Novel therapy discovered for Crohn's disease"
This article is for informational and educational purposes only; It is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult your doctor orhealthcare professional.
