Effects of Probiotic Supplementation in Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity Patients - Abstract
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is a clinical condition characterized by gastrointestinal and extra intestinal symptoms that occur shortly after ingestion of gluten, improve or disappear when gluten is withdrawn from the diet and recur if gluten is reintroduced. NCGS patients miss the biochemical markers of celiac disease
and wheat allergy.
The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of oral administration of probiotics on the overall symptoms of NCGS patients. Twenty-two NCGS patients have been recruited in this study. Both the experimental (n=11) and the control (n=11) groups have been treated with a gluten free diet (GFD); only the patients of the experimental
group received an oral supplementation of probiotics for 60 days. The occurrence of symptoms (related to NCGS) has been recorded before starting the GFD (baseline survey) and in four later follow-up visits.
The results have shown a decrease of the number of symptoms in patients of the experimental group from 30 days onwards, indicating that probiotic administration for a period of 30 days begins to improve the overall symptoms in NCGS patients. Probiotic administration has led to an improvement and, in some cases, to a complete remission of some symptoms, suggesting that it acts as a promising support for the diet therapy in NCGS treatment.