Could Fructan Be the Culprit in Non-celiac Gluten Sensitivity?

Celiac.com 11/20/2017 - People who do not have celiac disease, but who have celiac-like symptoms that improve on a gluten-free diet are prime candidates for a condition called non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS).

Researchers don't know much about the condition. There are no biomarkers, so they can't just do a blood test. People with this condition often experience celiac-like symptoms. Many of people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity see their symptoms improve on a gluten-free diet. However, these people may also have puzzling sensitivities to other foods that just don't seem to add up. Interestingly, foods with gluten often contain fructans, a type of fermentable oligo-, di-, monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAPs). Fructan is one such compound. Could fructan be the culprit?

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A team of researchers recently set out to investigate the effect of gluten and fructans separately in individuals with self-reported gluten sensitivity.

The research team includes Gry I. Skodje, Vikas K. Sarna, Ingunn H. Minelle, Kjersti L. Rolfsen, Jane G. Muir, Peter R. Gibson, Marit B. Veierød, Christine Henriksen, Knut E.A. Lundin. They are variously affiliated with the Division of Cancer Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, 0424 Oslo, Norway; the K. G. Jebsen Celiac Disease Research Centre, University of Oslo, Norway; the Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Norway; the Department of Gastroenterology, Monash University and Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; the Department of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway; and the Centre for Immune Regulation, University of Oslo, 0424 Oslo, Norway.

For their double-blind crossover challenge, the team enrolled 59 individuals without celiac disease, but who followed a self-driven gluten-free diet. The team conducted the study at Oslo University Hospital in Norway from October 2014 through May 2016. The team randomly assigned study subjects to groups. For 7 days, each group ate muesli bars containing either 5.7 grams of gluten, 2.1 grams fructans, or a placebo.

Subjects then underwent a washout period that lasted until the symptoms caused by the previous challenge were resolved. Washout period was a minimum of 7 days. After the washout period, participants crossed over into a different group, until they completed all 3 challenges.

To measure symptoms, the team used the gastrointestinal symptom rating scale irritable bowel syndrome (GSRS-IBS) version. They used a linear mixed model for analysis.

In this study of individuals with self-reported non-celiac gluten sensitivity, researchers found that fructans induced symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, as measured by the gastrointestinal symptom rating scale.

Clinicaltrials.gov no: NCT02464150

See the article below for more information, including study results.

Source:

• Gastrojournal.org DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2017.10.040