(01-02-16) Small Amounts of Gluten in Subjects With Suspected Nonceliac Gluten Sensitivity: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled

Small Amounts of Gluten in Subjects With Suspected Nonceliac Gluten Sensitivity: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over Trial.
Di Sabatino A1, Volta U2, Salvatore C1, Biancheri P1, Caio G2, De Giorgio R2, Di Stefano M1, Corazza GR3.
Author information
1First Department of Internal Medicine, St Matteo Hospital Foundation, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
2Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, St Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
3First Department of Internal Medicine, St Matteo Hospital Foundation, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected].
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS:
There is debate over the existence of nonceliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) intestinal and extraintestinal symptoms in response to ingestion of gluten-containing foods by people without celiac disease or wheat allergy. We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial to determine the effects of administration of low doses of gluten to subjects with suspected NCGS.
METHODS:
We enrolled 61 adults without celiac disease or a wheat allergy who believed ingestion of gluten-containing food to be the cause of their intestinal and extraintestinal symptoms. Participants were assigned randomly to groups given either 4.375 g/day gluten or rice starch (placebo) for 1 week, each via gastrosoluble capsules. After a 1-week gluten-free diet, participants crossed over to the other group. The primary outcome was the change in overall (intestinal and extraintestinal) symptoms, determined by established scoring systems, between gluten and placebo intake. A secondary outcome was the change in individual symptom scores between gluten vs placebo.
RESULTS:
According to the per-protocol analysis of data from the 59 patients who completed the trial, intake of gluten significantly increased overall symptoms compared with placebo (P = .034). Abdominal bloating (P = .040) and pain (P = .047), among the intestinal symptoms, and foggy mind (P = .019), depression (P = .020), and aphthous stomatitis (P = .025), among the extraintestinal symptoms, were significantly more severe when subjects received gluten than placebo.
CONCLUSIONS:
In a cross-over trial of subjects with suspected NCGS, the severity of overall symptoms increased significantly during 1 week of intake of small amounts of gluten, compared with placebo. Clinical trial no: ISRCTN72857280.

Source: Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2015 Sep;13(9):1604-12.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2015.01.029. Epub 2015 Feb 19.

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