Bee Honey and Functional Dyspepsia in Children
Condition: Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
MeSH terms: Gastrointestinal Diseases; Digestive System Diseases; Dyspepsia
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Functional dyspepsia is a constellation of diverse gastrointestinal disturbing symptoms with
      multifactorial feature, varying from upper abdominal bloating to nausea and vomiting, that
      are not attributable to organic causes after proper medical assessment. Treatment options are
      unsatisfactory due to the lack of identifiable pathophysiology as well as the pharmacological
      therapy are less effective, so using an additional reliable non-pharmacological therapy would
      be promising.

      Bee honey has not only being used as food but also it has being used as an alternative
      medicine for its several benefits in different health aspects. This study will address the
      use of bee honey as an adjuvant therapy to functional dyspepsia in children under proper
      follow-up periods.
    

Detailed description: 
      Functional dyspepsia (FD), among the most common gastrointestinal (GIT) disorders, is
      characterized by early satiation, postprandial fullness, epigastric pain, or epigastric
      burning in the absence of an organic or metabolic disease. FD is not a life-threatening
      serious illness, but its symptoms could persist; rather, they limit one's social life and
      reduce their quality of life. In addition, FD constitutes a serious disease burden worldwide
      because of its high prevalence.

      Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) in the form of Omeprazole had the best result on all dyspeptic
      symptoms being relieved on children aged 3-18 years with dyspepsia.

      Nonetheless, the efficacy of pharmacological therapies remains unsatisfactory and a
      considerable number of FD patients are refractory to conventional pharmacological treatments.
      Furthermore, low compliance of the traditional therapy can be observed in some FD patients as
      they would opt out from these pharmacological options because of the concerns on the side
      effects. In the absence of an approved drug to treat FD many patients seek person-centered,
      nonpharmacological approaches.

      As the consumption of nutrients can moderate the sensors of the upper gastrointestinal tract
      movement, changes in diet can probably improve the symptoms of functional dyspepsia.
      Alternative and complementary medicine has also been proposed as a practical treatment for
      dyspepsia. Another substance used for treating this disorder is honey, which is economical
      and has a short treatment period. Many old sources have reported the use of honey for
      preventing stomach ulcers, gastritis, and gastroenteritis. Honey has a stimulating effect on
      the stomach nerves, which may be due to the antioxidant activity of honey. According to a
      study, the consumption of honey reduces the acidic activity of the stomach by 56%. Another
      study showed the effect of honey on the improved blood supply of stomach microscopic
      capillaries and it helped in the repair of ulcers. The symptoms of functional dyspepsia can
      also be improved through diet education. In various studies, most people have reported the
      onset or exacerbation of dyspepsia symptoms after eating. Unhealthy nutritional behaviors can
      exacerbate the symptoms of functional dyspepsia.

      Adjuvant supplementation of honey based formulation of Nigella sativa can cause significant
      symptomatic improvement of patients with functional dyspepsia.

      Honey is considered one of the most common foods having alleviating effects on non-ulcer
      dyspepsia.

      In considerations of scarce knowledge in this field, health attributes of bee honey as a
      reliable therapy to improve the symptoms of functional dyspepsia in children, deserves
      seeking for.
    

Intervention name(s): Bee honey
Intervention type(s): Dietary Supplement
Intervention description(s): patients will receive honey for 8 weeks in a dose of 30 ml undiluted honey per day divided as 5 ml honey 30 minutes before each meal six times daily. The honey will be kept in a closed glass container and away from light until the time of use. Each patient will be provided with a well-sealed container containing 210 ml honey each week. The honey used in the study will be a raw, unprocessed Clover honey collected from AL Mahala-Gharbia governorate, Egypt. The honey will be supplied directly from a beekeeper without heating or gamma irradiation.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Two groups; interventional and control groups
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Functional dyspepsia in children; Bee honey