The Vitamin Professor

Gene Bruno, MS, MHS, RH(AHG) is a 45-year veteran of the dietary supplement industry, and for 20 of those years he served as Professor of Nutraceutical Science at Huntington University of Health Sciences. He now serves as Chief Scientific Officer for Nutraland USA. As “The Vitamin Professor”, Gene will share the most recent research on nutraceuticals in this free bimonthly newsletter. Make sure to subscribe.

This issue of The Vitamin Professor will review research on the Mediterranean diet, curcumin, and resveratrol for ulcerative colitis, synbiotics for irritable bowel syndrome, and Panax ginseng extract for exercise performance and metabolic health in athletes.

Mediterranean Diet, Curcumin, and Resveratrol for Ulcerative Colitis

This prospective multicenter three-arm randomized controlled trial[1] investigated the effects of the Mediterranean diet (MD), combined with curcumin and resveratrol supplementation, on disease activity, serum inflammatory markers, and quality of life in patients with mild-to-moderate active ulcerative colitis (UC). Participants were randomized to the MD, MD + curcumin, and MD + resveratrol groups. All participants were placed on the MD for 8 weeks. The MD + curcumin group also received 1600 mg/day of curcumin supplementation (VeNatura Curcumin Supplement; Vefa İlaç, Istanbul, Türkiye), whereas the MD + resveratrol group received 500 mg/day of resveratrol supplementation for 8 weeks. Anthropometric measurements, Truelove-Witts Index, Short Form-36, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire, Mediterranean Diet Adherence Scale (MEDAS), and laboratory tests were performed at baseline and postintervention. Within-group comparisons showed that MD, MD + curcumin, and MD + resveratrol interventions were effective in reducing disease activity and inflammation and improving quality of life in individuals with UC (p < 0.05).

Synbiotics for irritable bowel syndrome

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study[2] characterized the effects of a multi-strain synbiotic in patients with moderate to severe irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) of all stool form types. A total of 201 adult IBS patients completed a four-week treatment-free run-in phase and were treated either with the synbiotic (Lactobacillus helveticus SP 27 900 million CFU, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus Lr-32 450 million CFU, Lacticaseibacillus casei Lc-11 225 million CFU, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Lp-115 225 million CFU, Lactococcus lactis Ll-23 900 million CFU, Bifidobacterium longum Bl-05 675 million CFU, Bifidobacterium breve Bb-03 450 million CFU, Bifidobacterium bifidum Bb-02 225 million CFU, Streptococcus thermophilus St-21 450 million CFU, Total CFU/capsule 4.5 billion CFU, fructooligosaccharides 63 mg/capsule) or a placebo for 12 weeks. The primary endpoints were the assessment of the severity of IBS symptoms (IBS-SSS) and the improvement of IBS global symptoms (IBS-GIS). Secondary endpoints comprised adequate relief (IBS-AR scale), stool form type (Bristol Stool Form Scale), bowel movements, severity of abdominal pain and bloating, stool pressure, feeling of incomplete stool evacuation, and adverse events. Results were that synbiotic treatment, in comparison to placebo, significantly improved IBS-SSS and IBS-GIS scores. At the end of the treatment, 70% of patients in the synbiotic group achieved adequate relief. After 12 weeks of treatment, the secondary endpoints were favorably differentiated in the synbiotic group when compared with the placebo group. Two patients in the synbiotic group reported transient adverse events (headache). The results indicate that treatment of IBS patients with the synbiotic significantly improved all major symptoms of IBS and was well-tolerated.

Panax ginseng extract for exercise performance and metabolic health in athletes

This 14-day randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study[3] investigated the short-term effects of 500 mg Panax ginseng extract (PG) daily, containing at least 30% of ginsenosides, or placebo on aerobic capacity, lipid profile, and cytokines. Two experiments were conducted: one in 10 km races (n = 31) and another in a laboratory-controlled aerobic capacity test (n = 20). Blood lipid and cytokine profile, ventilation, oxygen consumption, hemodynamic and fatigue parameters, and race time were evaluated. PG supplementation led to reduced total blood lipid levels, particularly in triacylglycerides (10 km races -7.5 mg/dL (95% CI -42 to 28); sub-maximal aerobic test -14.2 mg/dL (95% CI -52 to 23)), while post-exercise blood IL-10 levels were increased (10 km 34.0 pg/mL (95% CI -2.1 to 70.1); sub-maximal aerobic test 4.1 pg/mL (95% CI -2.8 to 11.0)), and oxygen consumption decreased during the sub-maximal aerobic test (VO2: -1.4 mL/min/kg (95% CI -5.8 to -0.6)). Overall, PG supplementation for 2 weeks showed benefits in blood lipid profile and energy consumption during exercise among recreational athletes. This suggests a potential role for PG in enhancing exercise performance and metabolic health in this population.

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References

[1] Erol Doğan Ö, Karaca Çelik KE, Baş M, Alan EH, Çağın YF. Effects of Mediterranean Diet, Curcumin, and Resveratrol on Mild-to-Moderate Active Ulcerative Colitis: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial. Nutrients. 2024;16(10):1504. Published 2024 May 16. doi:10.3390/nu16101504

[2] Sommermeyer H, Chmielowiec K, Bernatek M, Olszewski P, Kopczynski J, Piątek J. Effectiveness of a Balanced Nine-Strain Synbiotic in Primary-Care Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients-A Multi-Center, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2024;16(10):1503. Published 2024 May 16. doi:10.3390/nu16101503

[3] Hernández-García D, Granado-Serrano AB, Martín-Gari M, Ensenyat A, Naudí A, Serrano JCE. Short-Term Panax Ginseng Extract Supplementation Reduces Fasting Blood Triacylglycerides and Oxygen Consumption during Sub-Maximal Aerobic Exercise in Male Recreational Athletes. Biomolecules. 2024;14(5):533. Published 2024 Apr 30. doi:10.3390/biom14050533