Glutamine Supplementation in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Guideline Recommendations and Evidence

• The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) guidelines state that there is insufficient evidence to recommend glutamine supplementation in IBD patients, as only two small randomized trials have compared glutamine-enriched formulas to standard formulas or placebo, and neither demonstrated any clinical benefit 1, 2
• The ESPEN gastroenterology guidelines concluded that there is currently insufficient evidence to recommend glutamine use in Crohn's disease patients, despite theoretical benefits from animal models showing reduced intestinal damage, human trials have failed to translate these findings into meaningful clinical outcomes 1, 2
• The American Gastroenterological Association and other guideline societies may also have recommendations, however the provided text only mentions ESPEN, which recommends against the use of glutamine supplementation for induction of remission in Crohn's disease 2

Clinical Evidence

• Human trials have failed to demonstrate any clinical benefit of glutamine supplementation in reducing calprotectin levels or controlling inflammation in IBD patients, with no changes in disease course, intestinal permeability, morphology, or disease activity scores 1, 2, 3