Could your feces be in high demand?
According to a new study released by the University of Bergen in Norway, patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) reported improvement after a fecal transplant from very healthy “super donors.”
The study also showed half of recipients reported symptom remission after the procedure.
IBS reportedly affects 10 to 15% of the American population with half of these people undiagnosed.
Scientists have been experimenting with “gut” bacteria for years as a cause of IBS.
This study indicates marked success.
However, the FDA has not approved fecal transplants and says the procedure carries risks.
The study was presented at the United European Gastroenterology Week in Spain. It used 164 diagnosed IBS patients who were randomly divided into a test group and a placebo group.
The test group got a fecal transplant from a “super donor”:
‘Overall, the donor was healthy, had been breast fed, consumed a nutritious diet, took no regular medications, was a nonsmoker and had taken antibiotics only a few times.’
The study’s results were very conclusive:
In the super-donor group, 76.9 percent that received 30 grams felt an improvement as did 89.1 percent of those who received 60 grams.
They also found that, in some cases, symptoms went away entirely for 35.2 percent of the 30 gram super-donor group and 47.3 percent of the 60 gram group.
Meanwhile, just 5.5 percent of those who received placebos reported that they had no more symptoms.
While it seems fecal transplants are a long way off, at least in America, it does seem there is some merit to the claims made for gut bacterial health.
And if this study is to be duplicated, then perhaps a niche as a fecal “super donor” will be created.