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IBS is a common bowel complaint and so far there is no single long-lasting cure for the symptoms such as bloating and diarrhoea. IBS does not lead to death, but it is important due to the effect that these symptoms have on quality of life (QoL), NHS costs and days off work.
This study aims to test whether the food supplement AHT#1 helps people with IBS symptoms. The supplement contains curcumin, vitamin D3 and green tea. Previous studies suggest that these supplements individually can be effective in IBS and also inflammatory bowel disease, so therefore this study is testing the benefit of a combination supplement in IBS symptoms.

Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.  

The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:

Participants will take 2 capsules of AHT#1 a day for 28 days and complete the bowel symptom diary. The patient will have a follow-up clinic appointment at 28 days for review and to check the supplement pack to see how many capsules are left and to return the bowel diary. The patient may choose to take the product for 56 more days and will be given the supply in clinic. They return 2 months later to clinic and complete the final IBS-SSS questionnaire prior to the appointment. The supplement pack will be checked for to see how many capsules are left. If the supplement appears to be helping with IBS symptoms, the participant can request 3 month’s supply of free product.

Adults with IBS-D (IBS that involves diarrhoea rather than constipation).

1. Diagnosis of diarrhoea-predominant IBS (as per Rome IV criteria)2. Aged 18-99 years3. No major co-morbidity4. IBS-SSS score of >1505. No evidence of inflammatory bowel disease/microscopic colitis or abdominal surgery (other than appendicectomy)6. Able to give informed consent.7. Be able to quantify previous treatments8. Confirmed stable diet for duration of the study

1. Prior abdominal surgery other than appendectomy and cholecystectomy. The investigator will clinically exclude bile salt malabsorption.2. Participating in another trial3. Pregnant or breast feeding4. Unwilling to maintain stable doses of IBS therapy (anti-muscarinics, anti-diarrhoeals, anti-depressants)5. Unwilling to maintain stable diet for the duration of the trial6. Being in the opinion of the investigator unsuitable7. Insufficient knowledge of English to complete the questionnaire/diary8. Hypersensitivity to any component of the supplement9. Drug interactions with any component of the supplement

Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.

• University College of London Hospital
  235 Euston Road
  London
  NW1 2BU
  

There is a very low risk of problems from taking the AHT#1 food supplement. Turmeric and caffeine may stimulate a bowel movement in some people. If there is any worsening of IBS symptoms, the patient should stop taking the food supplement. Research has shown that taking turmeric, vitamin D and green tea extract separately can reduce IBS symptoms. This means that it is possible that some participants will experience an improvement in the number of bowel movements, stool consistency, bloating and associated pain after taking the capsules.

Dr Valentina Passananti

The study is sponsored by University College of London and funded by ProfBiotics Ltd.