Pilot study indicates that a gluten-free diet lowers oxidative stress for gluten-sensitive persons with schizophrenia.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized controlled trial (secondary analysis of banked samples)
PubMed 38749320 · doi:10.1016/j.schres.2024.05.001
What was done
Secondary analysis of banked plasma samples from a 5-week, double-blind randomized controlled pilot trial in an inpatient setting (conducted 2014–2017). Participants had schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder with elevated anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA IgG ≥ 20 U) but without celiac disease. Participants received either a gluten-free diet (GFD, n = 7) or a gluten-containing diet (GCD, n = 9). Oxidative stress was measured at baseline and week 5 using an iridium-reducing capacity assay (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.84).
What was found
The GFD group showed reduced oxidative stress at 5 weeks compared to the GCD group (p = 0.05). Over 5 weeks, reductions in oxidative stress correlated with improvements in gastrointestinal symptoms (r = +0.64, p = 0.0073) and psychiatric symptoms (r = +0.52, p = 0.039). A positive correlation with decreased IL-23 levels did not reach statistical significance (r = +0.44, p = 0.087).
Why it matters
This study provides preliminary evidence that dietary gluten removal may reduce oxidative stress in the subset of schizophrenia patients with anti-gliadin antibodies, suggesting a potential redox-mediated pathway linking gut inflammation and psychiatric symptoms.
Limits
The sample size is extremely small (N = 16 total), limiting statistical power and generalizability. The study is a secondary analysis of banked samples from a short-duration (5-week) inpatient pilot study. The primary between-group difference was of borderline statistical significance (p = 0.05), and findings only apply to individuals with elevated AGA IgG.
Cited by
- context Approximately 17% of people with schizophrenia have elevated gluten antibodies.