β-glucan may be beneficial for the treatment and prevention of IBS. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Effects ofβ-(1,3-1,6)-d-glucan on irritable bowel syndrome-related colonic hypersensitivity.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2012 Mar 10. Epub 2012 Mar 10. PMID: 22430139
Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Keio University, Tokyo 105-8512, Japan.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a gastrointestinal disorder characterized by chronic abdominal pain associated with altered bowel habits. Since the prevalence of IBS is very high and thus, involves elevated health-care costs, treatment of this condition by methods other than prescribed medicines could be beneficial.β-(1,3)-d-glucan with β-(1,6) branches (β-glucan) has been used as a nutritional supplement for many years. In this study, we examined the effect of β-glucan on fecal pellet output and visceral pain response in animal models of IBS. Oral administration of β-glucan suppressed the restraint stress- or drug-induced fecal pellet output. β-Glucan also suppressed the visceral pain response to colorectal distension. These results suggest that β-glucan could be beneficial for the treatment and prevention of IBS.