Effectiveness and Safety of A Nutraceutical Formulation for the Treatment of Functional Dyspepsia in Primary Care.

BACKGROUND: Although FD may affect up to 10% of the general population, the therapy for FD is not standard. Recently, ginger-based food supplements have been proposed in order to restore FD symptoms. Our aim was to assess the efficacy of a new nutraceutical formulation containing extract of gingerol and thymus as a possible natural treatment in managing the symptoms of functional dyspepsia (FD). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the efficacy and safety profiles of a nutraceutical formulation containing Zingiber officinalis root extract and a standardized Thymus extract. It was administered as 1 ml/day twice a day for 90 days. Patients were assessed at baseline and after 1, 2 and 3 months of treatment, following a month of pharmacological washout by completing a questionnaire reporting the trend of the following symptoms: epigastric pain, epigastric heaviness, early satiety, belching, and regurgitation. Every symptom was assessed by a Visual Analogic Scale (VAS), ranging from 0= absence to 10= maximal severity. RESULTS: We enrolled 272 patients (99 males and 173 females; median IQR age 49.5, 36-64 yrs). Obesity (BMI>30) was present in 28 (12.5%) patients; smokers were 83 (30.5%); and comorbidities were present in 107 (39.3%) patients. Improvement of symptom scores during treatment and one month after its suspension was extremely significant (p<0.000). CONCLUSION: This large study found that nutraceutical formulation could be one of the tools for an empirical approach to treat patients with FD, especially when a non-conventional drug treatment is preferable for the patient and considered suitable by the physician.