Encouraging findings in a small group of patients are reported by researchers at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, in New York.

First, the details.

• 6 patients with moderately severe Crohn’s disease participated.
  • 2 had completed growth.
• All were treated with an exclusion diet with nutraceutical therapy.
• Adequate caloric and protein intake for catch-up weight was prescribed.
• Dairy products, certain grains and carrageenan containing foods were eliminated.
  • Carrageenan is a seaweed extract.
• Nutraceuticals, consisting of fish peptides, bovine colostrum, Boswellia serrata, curcumin, and a multivitamin were taken daily.
• Lactobacillus GG, a probiotic, was administered twice weekly.
• Recombinant human GH (rhGH) was administered daily.

And, the results.

• Within 2 months of starting the exclusion diet with nutraceutical therapy all 6 patients went into remission and stopped taking all pharmacological drugs.
• 3 patients have remained in sustained remission for 4 to 8 years.
• 1 patient with very severe Crohn’s disease had recurrence of symptoms after being in complete remission for 18 months.
• 1 patient was in remission for 3 years but symptoms recurred when she became less compliant with the exclusion diet with nutraceutical therapy.
• 1 recently treated patient remains in remission after 6 months.
• With the addition of rhGH, the 4 growing patients had good-excellent growth response

The bottom line?

It’s a very small group of patients.

The authors believe, “These findings justify larger controlled trials to evaluate the long-term benefit of compliance to exclusion diet with nutraceutical therapy in both juvenile and adult Crohn’s disease patients.”

More information from 1 of the patients in this study is available here.

2/13/10 23:05 JR