According to the NHS, 1 in every 420 people in the UK has ulcerative colitis, with people aged 15 – 25 the most commonly affected. The condition causes inflammation in the colon and rectum, which can lead to a whole host of symptoms – such as fatigue and a loss of blood. Some people are severely debilitated as a result of ulcerative colitis, but most individuals will deal with things called flare-ups.
An ulcerative colitis flare is when the condition sparks up after weeks or months of almost no symptoms at all. You may be able to go on with your daily life, experiencing little-to-no issues whatsoever. Then, all of a sudden, the symptoms return and you suffer from stomach pain, diarrhoea, blood in your stool, chronic fatigue and so on.
Unfortunately, this condition is an autoimmune disease, so it cannot be cured. Instead, the focus is on relieving symptoms as best as you can. The good news is there are ways to do this – one of which involves dietary supplements. Patients with ulcerative colitis can experience nutritional deficiencies that make many symptoms worse. As a result, the following supplements are recommended:
Hydration Tablets
Naturally, one of the key symptoms during an ulcerative colitis flare is chronic diarrhoea. Thus, you run the risk of suffering from extreme dehydration. Taking some hydration tablets will help with this, much more so than just drinking water alone.
Hydration tablets contain electrolytes, which are lost when you lose fluids through diarrhoea and sweating. Water won’t replace these, which is why special hydration tablets are necessary to prevent dehydration. In turn, this can reduce symptoms such as fatigue or dizziness that often come during flare-ups because you lose so many fluids.
Vitamin B
There are links between patients with ulcerative colitis and vitamin B12 deficiency. It’s believed that the condition prevents people from absorbing many crucial B vitamins, which leads to a host of common symptoms.
Taking a B-Vitamin supplement can help combat this. A B12 spray can be absorbed in your mouth, ensuring your body gets enough of this key vitamin. From here, this can boost energy and prevent fatigue and weakness – both of which you experience during flare-ups.
Folic acid (Vitamin B9) is also commonly deficient in patients with this condition. So, taking a general B-Vitamin complex supplement is a smart idea to ensure you get all these valuable vitamins in your system.
Vitamin D
Similarly, this condition can cause a vitamin D deficiency, as reported in numerous studies. This can lead to many issues, most notably problems with the bones. People with ulcerative colitis are prone to osteoporosis and other bone conditions.
Therefore, taking a vitamin D supplement every day can help to prevent these problems from happening. It should also aid in stopping you from feeling really weak or suffering from joint issues in your body.
Iron
As mentioned before, diarrhoea is one of the most prevalent symptoms of ulcerative colitis. Furthermore, it is common to see blood in your stool when you suffer a flare-up – in fact, this is one of the key signs to look for to know if a flare-up is happening.
Consequently, this can mean you suffer from a loss of blood, which reduces your iron levels. In turn, this leads to symptoms such as chronic fatigue, paleness, and excessive bruising. Thus, iron supplements are crucial to restore iron levels and prevent further complications, like anaemia.
Potassium & Magnesium
Potassium and magnesium are two powerful minerals found throughout the body. Both play crucial roles, with each one being useful in bone formation and preventing bone loss. Indeed, people with ulcerative colitis will likely lack both minerals because they are absorbed in the colon – which is severely affected by this condition.
A potassium supplement is recommended to ease symptoms such as muscle cramps and dizziness – both of which can come around because of a potassium deficiency.
Likewise taking a daily magnesium supplement can prevent bone loss and improve your mood. If you suffer from constant muscle twitching, this could also be a sign you lack magnesium in your diet, and a supplement can help with that.
It is worth pointing out that hydration tablets often include potassium and magnesium as they are two of the key electrolytes in your body – along with sodium, calcium, chloride and phosphorous.
If you suffer from ulcerative colitis and want relief during flare-ups, try taking these supplements daily. Many of the symptoms faced when living with this condition stem from nutritional deficiency – such as the ones mentioned above. Restoring balance to your internal system and giving your body essential nutrients can calm a lot of the symptoms of UC.