The Effect of Coarse Wheat Bran in the Irritable Bowel Syndrome lA Double-Blind Cross-Over Study

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Abstract
Dietary supplementation with wheat bran has been widely advocated as a 1st-time treatment of patients with the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Few controlled trials have been reported and the results are, furthermore, contradictory. The present study comprised 20 patients with IBS, of whom 18 (14 women, 4 men) completed the trial. The 2 treatment periods of 6 wk each, with a daily intake of 30 g coarse wheat bran or 30 g placebo bran, respectively, were randomized in a double-blind cross-over design. Wheat bran significantly (P < 0.05) increased the stool weight and shortened the intestinal transit time but was without significant effect on symptoms like abdominal pain, distension and rumbling. No significant effect on the colonic motility index was shown. Coarse wheat bran used as the only treatment in IBS apparently does not provide a sufficient effect in a 6-wk period. However, wheat bran seems to be justified in the treatment of constipation.