The Effect of cereal based functional beverage on patients with chronic gastritis: a pilot study

Abstract

Chronic gastritis (CG) is a common gastrointestinal condition that can be seen all around the world. It significantly reduces the quality of life (QoL) of its affected individuals. Therefore, this study was aimed at finding the effect of a rice-based beverage on the QoL of CG patients. The beverage was comprised with a traditional red rice variety, “Kuruluthuda”, and soy milk powder as major ingredients. The volunteer participants for this study were recruited after ensuring they are CG patients through a medical screening. The study participants included a convenient sample of 22 young adults. The QoL Instruments for Chronic Diseases-Chronic Gastritis (QLICD-CG) questionnaire was employed in this study as the major data collection tool to measure the changes in QoL of the participants for a period of 10 weeks. The QoL data were gathered weekly for 8 weeks during the beverage consumption as the starting meal for the day and for another 2 weeks after the discontinuation of the beverage consumption. The socio-demographic data of the study group were collected using a socio-demographic questionnaire during the baseline data collection. Anthropometry, body composition, psychological stress and 24-hour dietary recall data were gathered during baseline, 4th week and the 8th week during the data collection period. The status of psychological stress was measured using a “Perceived Stress Scale” (PSS). The study results showed that there was a significant improvement in the QoL of the participants after the beverage consumption. The average QoL at the baseline was 54.1% and it increased to 75% at the end of the beverage consumption period. Additionally, the psychological stress of the study participants had an inverse relationship with the QoL. There was no significant difference in the anthropometry and body composition measurements due to the beverage consumption. In conclusion, further research is warranted to investigate the effect of regular consumption of the beverage on the potential of improving the quality of life of patients with chronic gastritis.