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Novel therapy (chlorogenic acid) for UC that has been highly effective for me.

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Posted 11/10/2012 12:41 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all
I'm new to this forum and wanted to share a serendipitous discovery I made recently.

I was diagnosed with UC by colonoscopy in 2003. I've tried most of the rx meds out there for it at one time or another and treated the worst flares with prednisone. My level of disease activity has been fairly mild for the last few years, thanks mostly to rifaximin.

I had a self inflicted flare last summer. I have moderate to severe right side trocanteric bursitis, probably caused by running 15-20 miles per week for the last 35 years or so. I convinced my GP to let me go on Celebrex (200mg bid) for it and I stayed on too long, trigger a pretty awful UC flare. I went back on Colazal, doubled my dose of rifaximin and toughed it out. I also lost some weight, which was fine with me. As the flare slowly abated, my weight loss stopped, probably because I started eating again. I still wanted to drop another 10 pounds. I remembered reading about a study that indicated that an extract from unroasted coffee beans promoted weight loss. Here's the study:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22291473

So I got a supplement that contained the extract from the same source used in the study, standardized to 50% chlorogenic acid and started taking it, 3 400mg capsules per day. This is the product I used:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ZOLSL0/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00

I started with one dose on a Tuesday evening. I woke up Thursday morning with about a 50% reduction in my UC symptoms - lower frequency, less urgency, firmer stools, less gas and cramping, etc. It was pretty amazing, and the only thing I could think of was that it was probably due to the supplement, since that was the only thing that had changed recently. So I did some research to try to explain how the supplement could have caused the partial remission and found that chlorogenic acid has anti-inflammatory properties. Here are the studies I found documenting that:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22417510


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12022439


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19393773

One study documents antibacterial activity, which I don't think is relevant. I've been on it for about 2 weeks and have seen slow but steady improvement since then. I saw my GI this week, told him what happened and he advised me to stay on it. I'm due for a colonoscopy next month, so we'll see how things look then.

The only therapy I've ever tried that was better than this is prednisone, which I hate taking because of the side effects.

Let me say preemptively that while I work in the health care field I have no personal interest in the sale of this or any other supplement. I just hope others can find the same relief I have from this.

I'll check back periodically. Feel free to ask questions.

Richard
Posted 11/10/2012 2:24 PM (GMT 0)
I'm a believer in antibacterial suppression of UC, why don't you think it's relevant?
If it's working for you that is terrific.
If it heals UC and promotes weight loss wow this could make someone very very rich. Except I guess it may not be patentable.

Have there been any medical studies done with humans yet?
Posted 11/10/2012 3:01 PM (GMT 0)
Chlorogenic acid is found in potatoes and coffee. I cannot tolerate coffee during flares but otherwise it is OK.

There are some members here (Tap?) who feel that potatoes help their UC. But potatoes are illegal under the SCDiet and Paleo which is gospel for many UCers. So I guess this again proves that everyone is different. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try it. Thanks for the link.
Posted 11/10/2012 3:33 PM (GMT 0)

imagardener2 said...
I'm a believer in antibacterial suppression of UC, why don't you think it's relevant?
If it's working for you that is terrific.
If it heals UC and promotes weight loss wow this could make someone very very rich. Except I guess it may not be patentable.

Have there been any medical studies done with humans yet?

The antibacterial effect might be relevant, but UC is primarily an inflammatory disease. The beneficial effect was so immediate and dramatic that it seemed more likely that the mechanism of action is the inhibition of cytokine production.

I found no studies that examined chlorogenic acid as a therapy for UC or other IBD's, just the weight loss study. My GI may be interested in writing up my experience as a case report after my colonoscopy, depending on what he finds.
Posted 11/10/2012 3:37 PM (GMT 0)
I am strongly against following any diet like it is the bible. While following SCD or Paleo may benefit or even "cure" some I do not believe there is such a thing as a UC diet unless you have a gluten or candida problem. I think if the nuts and bolts were ever discovered in this thing that people who are having so much success with SCD or Paleo would find out that there are foods that are "illegal" that they could actually be eating and foods which they are eating that they really shouldn't be. But, since we don't know the nuts and bolts of it all, figuring it out would be nearly impossible. I just hate to see people eliminating this and that when they could really be eating it. Thanks for the info Richard. I just recently started taking a different acid myself (Thorne's SF722) trying to go down a similar route. As usual, here at the beginning, I am seeing what seems to be some major improvements but I have been fooled before.
Posted 11/10/2012 3:39 PM (GMT 0)

BabeintheWoods said...
Chlorogenic acid is found in potatoes and coffee. I cannot tolerate coffee during flares but otherwise it is OK.

There are some members here (Tap?) who feel that potatoes help their UC. But potatoes are illegal under the SCDiet and Paleo which is gospel for many UCers. So I guess this again proves that everyone is different. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try it. Thanks for the link.

Chlorogenic acid is heat sensitive, and is largely destroyed in the coffee roasting process. Based on this:

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf00023a022

I doubt you'd find clinically significant amounts in cooked potatoes either. If people can't or don't want to get it directly from food a standardized extract is probably a better choice.

You're welcome for the links. I just hope this helps some others as much as it's helped me.
Posted 11/10/2012 3:48 PM (GMT 0)
The product you took is for weightloss, so it is a stimulant. I am not sure how it can help UC but what do I know? If it worked for you it is great.
Posted 11/10/2012 3:51 PM (GMT 0)

garylouisville said...
I am strongly against following any diet like it is the bible. While following SCD or Paleo may benefit or even "cure" some I do not believe there is such a thing as a UC diet unless you have a gluten or candida problem. I think if the nuts and bolts were ever discovered in this thing that people who are having so much success with SCD or Paleo would find out that there are foods that are "illegal" that they could actually be eating and foods which they are eating that they really shouldn't be. But, since we don't know the nuts and bolts of it all, figuring it out would be nearly impossible. I just hate to see people eliminating this and that when they could really be eating it. Thanks for the info Richard. I just recently started taking a different acid myself (Thorne's SF722) trying to go down a similar route. As usual, here at the beginning, I am seeing what seems to be some major improvements but I have been fooled before.

The active ingredient in the Thorne's SF722 is undecylenic acid, which is being studied as a treatment for arthritis and busitis, both inflammatory diseases, so it makes sense that it could be helping with your UC. I'll have to try it for my bursitis!

Thanks. :-)
Posted 11/10/2012 3:58 PM (GMT 0)

lookforcure said...
The product you took is for weightloss, so it is a stimulant. I am not sure how it can help UC but what do I know? If it worked for you it is great.

Not all substances that promote weight loss are stimulants. Chlorogenic acid promotes weight loss by inhibiting an enzyme that allows the liver to produce glucose. Lowering blood glucose levels causes the body to invade adipose stores in a process know as Lipolysis. Chlorogenic acid has no documented stimulant properties that I've been able to find. I think it helps UC by reducing the inflammation that causes UC symptoms.
Posted 11/10/2012 4:53 PM (GMT 0)
Richard in NY
Thanks for sharing this info. I love the idea of a product that would help me shed some pounds and help with UC, too.

I looked at your link to the product on Amazon and read the reviews. Seems one comment referred to the product as not being pure (as suggested by Dr. Oz). Apparently there are cellulose fillers.
Do you think fillers are an issue?

BTW, there are "free" offers associated with some of these products. Beware the fine print. One offer will automatically send additional bottles every month UNLESS you cancel out.
Posted 11/10/2012 5:43 PM (GMT 0)

ItsAlwaysSomething said...
Richard in NY
Thanks for sharing this info. I love the idea of a product that would help me shed some pounds and help with UC, too.

I looked at your link to the product on Amazon and read the reviews. Seems one comment referred to the product as not being pure (as suggested by Dr. Oz). Apparently there are cellulose fillers.
Do you think fillers are an issue?

BTW, there are "free" offers associated with some of these products. Beware the fine print. One offer will automatically send additional bottles every month UNLESS you cancel out.

The cellulose is in the capsule itself. Typically an extract is "full spectrum", i.e. it contains the same mix of compound as the source material. What matters is that the active ingredient is standardized to a particular percentage of the total so that you get a uniform amount from dose to dose.

I've been using LEF (Life Extension Foundation) products for many years. The quality is excellent. It's a non-profit buyers club and research organization:

http://www.lef.org/index.htm

You cannot go wrong with a product from LEF.
Posted 11/10/2012 8:31 PM (GMT 0)
Could someone else please try this product?
Posted 11/10/2012 10:03 PM (GMT 0)

chicagobulls11 said...
Could someone else please try this product?

You could try it, you know. :-)

Seriously, I would like others to try it and report back on what benefit, if any, they saw. By the way, I'm now taking 4 capsules a day. One as soon as I wake up, then one before or with each meal. My typical routine is to get up early, go running and shower and then have some breakfast. Exercise lowers your blood glucose levels anyway, so I thought that having some in my system while exercising would enhance the weight loss effect. I also added the dose first thing in the morning because that's when my UC symptoms seem to be the worst and it made sense to get some into my GI tract as early as possible.

I got a new, more accurate scale and have been tracking my weight in a spreadsheet everyday. While it's bounced around a little, I've lost about 4 pounds since I started taking it two weeks ago.
Posted 11/11/2012 12:07 AM (GMT 0)
The problem with buying products on Amazon is that there is a lack of detailed information regarding ingredients. I checked out the recommended Life Extension product on Vitacost and found the following:

Other Ingredients: Vegetable cellulose (capsule), microcrystalline cellulose, vegetable stearate, silica.

Dr. Oz strongly recommends a pure product.
http://healthnews-daily.com/index1.php?afid=22280

There is a similar product for sale on Amazon that I may take a chance on.
http://www.amazon.com/Extract-Chlorogenic-Raspberry-Ketones-capsules/dp/B0080GDR9C/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

What do you think?
Posted 11/11/2012 1:52 AM (GMT 0)

ItsAlwaysSomething said...
The problem with buying products on Amazon is that there is a lack of detailed information regarding ingredients. I checked out the recommended Life Extension product on Vitacost and found the following:

Other Ingredients: Vegetable cellulose (capsule), microcrystalline cellulose, vegetable stearate, silica.

Dr. Oz strongly recommends a pure product.
http://healthnews-daily.com/index1.php?afid=22280

There is a similar product for sale on Amazon that I may take a chance on.
http://www.amazon.com/Extract-Chlorogenic-Raspberry-Ketones-capsules/dp/B0080GDR9C/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

What do you think?

I think that the word "pure" in this context is confusing. The product that's advertised on the Dr. Oz web page you linked to, the "Ultimate Strength Green Coffee Bean" contains 50% chlorogenic acid, the same as the LEF product. The only way I can see that it's "pure" is that the extract comes from nothing but coffee beans.

The product that you linked to would be less pure, since it also contains raspberry ketones, along with "African Mango Extract (Irvingia Gabonesis), Acai Fruit, Resveratrol, Apple Cider Vinegar (powder), Kelp, Grapefruit Powder. Other ingredients: Gelatin, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Stearate."

If it provides 400mg of chlorogenic acid per dose, the rest is just window dressing. I would go with the LEF product because for me, it's a trusted brand and I've never heard of BSkinny Global.

Also, take what a celebrity doctor like Dr. Oz says with a bit of skepticism. The weight loss study that he's discussing is very interesting, but with a sample size of only 16 is no where near as definitive as he makes it sound. And a term like pure has very little meaning in this context.

So pick whichever one you like, the benefit will likely be the same. The LEF formulation is actually the purer of the two. Here's the product page on the LEF site, with the complete list of ingredients:

http://www.lef.org/Vitamins-Supplements/Item01620/CoffeeGenic-Green-Coffee-Extract.html
Posted 11/11/2012 6:16 AM (GMT 0)
Here are my threads on chlorogenic acid and UC from April of this year.

Yes there are valid reasons for it to work. Seems the OP found it by

accident,it may work like LDN.

Old Mike

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=38&m=2395458

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=38&m=2392240

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=38&m=2425651

 

Post Edited (Old Mike) : 11/11/2012 12:50:17 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/11/2012 7:36 AM (GMT 0)
I'd try anything. Except I'm trying too much as it is (diet, vit. e enmas, mes enemas, LDN), am not doing great, and am losing weight.

There is anecdotal evidence on this forum that a million different treatments work for different people. It would be foolish to try them all. Yet I don't know enough about this disease, or the science behind various treatments, to know which to try (unless they have significant empirical support - works for many people).
Posted 11/11/2012 11:37 AM (GMT 0)

chicagobulls11 said...
I'd try anything. Except I'm trying too much as it is (diet, vit. e enmas, mes enemas, LDN), am not doing great, and am losing weight.

There is anecdotal evidence on this forum that a million different treatments work for different people. It would be foolish to try them all. Yet I don't know enough about this disease, or the science behind various treatments, to know which to try (unless they have significant empirical support - works for many people).

I agree, it's good to be skeptical. To me, the decision comes down to a number of factors.

- How badly am I suffering from the disease right now?
- How costly and risky would it be to try it?
- Is there any logical reason to think that if should or even might be helpful?

I think chlorogenic acid looks pretty good by these criteria. It's cheap, it's a naturally occurring substance found in common foods (low risk) and the anti-inflammatory properties are well documented.

I found out about the effect on my disease state by accident, so I got lucky. Everyone else who's tempted has a cost/risk/benefit decision to make about it.

I'm sorry to hear you're not doing great. Good luck.
Posted 11/11/2012 1:53 PM (GMT 0)
Personally I think the GI's could do a little more investigative work than they do in order to at least put you on the right path. I mean how many GI's check for Candida, gluten intolerance, food intolerances, etc.? Almost none. They don't do any doctoring at all and just put you on prednisone or the other nasty drugs because their book says there is no known cause so why bother even trying?
Posted 11/11/2012 4:01 PM (GMT 0)
Richard,

I agree with those criteria. Generally, an additional criterion I look for is - Does it work for multiple people. But if this product truly is cheap, non-dangerous, and natural then I guess I don't have much to lose.

Have you tried stopping the chlorogenic acid to see if you're symptoms return? In other words, how convinced are you that your reduction in symptoms can be attributed to the chl. acid?

D
Posted 11/11/2012 4:46 PM (GMT 0)

chicagobulls11 said...
Richard,

I agree with those criteria. Generally, an additional criterion I look for is - Does it work for multiple people. But if this product truly is cheap, non-dangerous, and natural then I guess I don't have much to lose.

Have you tried stopping the chlorogenic acid to see if you're symptoms return? In other words, how convinced are you that your reduction in symptoms can be attributed to the chl. acid?

D

Good question. I have not tried stopping the chlorogenic acid because I'm too thrilled to past the worst of the flare and moving into greater remission. I also want to try to get the inflammation down as much as possible before I get scoped next month. So it's not really an experiment I want to try now.

I'm convinced that the improvement in my UC was due to the chlorogenic acid beyond a reasonable doubt for the following reasons:

- it happened very shortly after I started the supplement (36 hours roughly). Only prednisone has given me that level of relief that quickly.
- nothing else in my diet or medication or exercise regime had changed for weeks before the improvement
- I found a rational explanation in the scientific literature for the mechanism of action - it blocks the production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines and it suppresses LPS-induced COX-2 expression.

I'm as convinced as I need to be to keep taking it. Maybe I'll try DC'ing after my colonoscopy.

Fortune favors the bold. He who dares wins.

wink

Post Edited (Richard in NY) : 11/11/2012 11:57:58 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/11/2012 9:13 PM (GMT 0)
I am in. The store lacked LEF brand but I got some 400mg 50% green coffee pills and am hoping this is effective at reducing my inflammation. Seems harmless, was less than 20 bucks for a bottle and worse case would seem to be it eliminates visceral fat but does nothing else.

Thanks for contributing.

BTW - I suspected there could be a connection to sunflower seeds and the reported success here.

"All plants contain chlorogenic acid, mostly in the stems and leaves, but sunflowers also have it in the seeds. "

Foods with chlorogenic acid

The quantity of chlorogenic acid in most plants is miniscule. However, a few types of plants accumulate chlorogenic acid, especially in the skin, in quantities sufficient to have a physiological effect on individuals who consume them. These foods include:

(High content)
* coffee
* sunflower seeds
* tea
* blueberries

(Lower content, but still higher than most other foods)
* Chinese parsley
* potatoes
* tomatoes
* apples
* pears
* tobacco
* eggplant

That explains quite a bit.

mpkb.org/home/food/chlorogenic_acid#foods_with_chlorogenic_acid

Post Edited (aguywithuc) : 11/11/2012 2:18:08 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/11/2012 10:04 PM (GMT 0)

aguywithuc said...
I am in. The store lacked LEF brand but I got some 400mg 50% green coffee pills and am hoping this is effective at reducing my inflammation. Seems harmless, was less than 20 bucks for a bottle and worse case would seem to be it eliminates visceral fat but does nothing else.

Thanks for contributing.

You're welcome.

I think that there's only one big producer of green coffee extract with standardized chlorogenic acid, a company called Applied Food Science. That's the source that was used in the obesity study and what's in the LEF product.

How bad are your symptoms now? Good luck, and please let us know if it seems to be helping after you give it a couple of days.
Posted 11/11/2012 10:15 PM (GMT 0)

aguywithuc said...
I am in. The store lacked LEF brand but I got some 400mg 50% green coffee pills and am hoping this is effective at reducing my inflammation. Seems harmless, was less than 20 bucks for a bottle and worse case would seem to be it eliminates visceral fat but does nothing else.

Thanks for contributing.

BTW - I suspected there could be a connection to sunflower seeds and the reported success here.

"All plants contain chlorogenic acid, mostly in the stems and leaves, but sunflowers also have it in the seeds. "

Foods with chlorogenic acid

The quantity of chlorogenic acid in most plants is miniscule. However, a few types of plants accumulate chlorogenic acid, especially in the skin, in quantities sufficient to have a physiological effect on individuals who consume them. These foods include:

(High content)
* coffee
* sunflower seeds
* tea
* blueberries

(Lower content, but still higher than most other foods)
* Chinese parsley
* potatoes
* tomatoes
* apples
* pears
* tobacco
* eggplant

That explains quite a bit.

mpkb.org/home/food/chlorogenic_acid#foods_with_chlorogenic_acid


I thought you were in remission?

Im thinking about trying also but have little faith. My local store is closed today too..
Posted 11/11/2012 11:54 PM (GMT 0)
Everybody looks for a magic bullet and and there has never been one, at least one that works for everybody. There are testimonials from UCers that say threanine and slippery elm work, now the cure du jour is chlorogenic acid. I am not saying that they are not effective, obviously some people swear by them. But not everyone. We have people who posted that coconut macaroons ended their flares.

The same applies for regular meds too, they work for some but not everyone. But at least some supplements and alternative therapies such as boswellia, curcumin, LDN, psyllium seed, probiotics, etc., have solid research studies backing them up. So far I have seen studies that chlorogenic acid is an anti-inflammatory and has anti-bacterial properties, but nothing so far to indicate that it is specifically effective against IBD.

Hopefully in the future chlorogenic acid will be proven effective. In the meantime it wouldn't hurt for some to try it out. It doesn't seem to have any adverse side effects. If others find it effective then please let us know. That is what this forum is for.
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