According to Mayo Clinic, irritable bowel syndrome, better known as colitis, is a disorder that directly affects the large intestine and is characterized by stabbing pain in the abdominal area. It is a chronic condition, therefore there is no cure, but there are ways to control it.
Most people who suffer from this disease have mild to moderate symptoms. However, they need to take medication to relieve them. In addition, it is important to follow a special diet, so as not to make the problem worse.
A study about this syndrome, published in the Journal of Gastroenterology of Mexico, states that this condition is one of the most common functional disorders. It is estimated that between 16 and 30 percent of the population suffers, mainly affecting women under 45 years.
There are several treatments available and day by day researchers continue to work to find new ways to relieve patients suffering from this disease.
Scientists from the Center for the Development of Biotic Products ( Ceprobi ), from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), developed research with agave tequilana haw, to take advantage of its antioxidant, prebiotic and protective properties to counteract irritable bowel syndrome, commonly known as colitis.
Information on the development of this new treatment was presented in a statement from the IPN Social Communication Coordination.
The engineers Antonio Ruperto Jiménez Aparicio, Brenda Hildeliza Camacho, and Martha Lucía Arenas were the ones who led the research team that, after 5 years and in coordination with the National Institute of Nutrition Salvador Zubirán, verified the effectiveness of agave prebiotics in people who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome.
Brenda Camacho explained :
After a month of treatment with a jelly added with agavins, the pain was reduced, the inflammation subsided and people who evacuated a few times a week increased the frequency without causing diarrhea or another discomfort.
This improvement occurred during the period in which the patients consumed the product, with a delayed effect of 15 days. Camacho recommended ingesting it constantly, since one of the main characteristics of agavins is that they feed the microbiota of the colon, resulting in the growth of beneficial bacteria for the digestion process.
A second investigation was carried out in collaboration with the Biomedical Research Center of the South. The specialists created a bread added with agavins, which was included in the diet of mice that served as experimental subjects. The effects that this bread had on its weight, a number of bowel movements and the fermentation process in its colon were observed.
To obtain the results, it was necessary to make cuts of five microns in the stomach of the mice, before and after the treatment. After careful analysis, it was concluded that the microorganisms attached to that organ favor the immune system of the study subject.
This product is still under development, so there is still no exact date for commercial distribution.
