Kucuktulu, E., Guner, A., Kahraman, I., Topbas, M., & Kucuktulu, U. (2013). The protective effects of glutamine on radiation-induced diarrhea. Supportive Care in Cancer, 21(4), 1071–1075.
To investigate the protective effects of glutamine on radiation-induced diarrhea
Patients were divided into two groups. One group received 15 g oral glutamine each day beginning one week prior to radiotherapy and continuing until one week after radiation therapy completion. The other group was given an oral glucose solution.
The study was conducted at a single outpatient site in Turkey.
Patients were undergoing the active treatment phase of care.
This was a two-group prospective trial.
No between-group differences were found in overall incidence of diarrhea. None of the patients in the glutamine group developed grade 3–4 diarrhea, compared to 69% of those in the placebo group (p = 0.0000). More patients in the placebo group required loperamide and parenteral supportive therapy.
Findings suggest that oral glutamine may be helpful in the prevention and management of severe radiation-induced diarrhea.
Findings suggest that oral glutamine may help in the prevention of severe radiation-induced diarrhea. However, study design issues limit the quality of this study. Use of glutamine warrants further investigation in large, well-designed randomized studies.