Vitamin C May Help Eradicate H. Pylori
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A new study has found Vitamin C may support the health of individuals with stomach or duodenal ulcers by increasing the effectiveness of a standard anti-infective treatment of Helicobacter pylori.
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a gram-negative bacterium that infects the stomach and upper intestines. Approximately 50 percent of the world”s population is infected with H. pylori. Infection with this bacterium can cause chronic inflammation (gastritis), ulcers and is associated with the development of stomach cancer and even rosacea.
This recently published study investigated the potential benefits of adding vitamin C to the standard treatment protocol for H. pylori infection. In this study, 312 subjects with H. pylori infection were given the standard treatment protocol or the standard treatment protocol plus 500 mg vitamin C per day for 2 weeks. The standard anti-infective treatment included the antibiotics amoxicillin and metronidazole and bismuth plus the proton-pump inhibitor omeprazole, to block stomach acid secretion. After 4 weeks, the subjects were tested for the eradicationof H. pylori using the urea breath test.
The researchers found that 78 percent of the subjects who received the standard treatment protocol plus vitamin C responded to treatment and had a negative urea test, compared to only 48.8 percent of the subjects who responded positively to the standard eradication therapy alone.
Thus, the researchers stated, “Addition of vitamin C to H. pylori treatment regimen of amoxicillin, metronidazole and bismuth can significantly increase H. pylori eradication rate.”
Reference:
Zojaji H, Talaie R, Mirsattari D, Haghazali M, Molaei M, Mohsenian N, Derakhshan F, Zali MR. The efficacy of Helicobacter pylori eradication regimen with and without vitamin C supplementation. Dig Liver Dis. 2009 Jun 1. Published Online Ahead of Print.