Effects of Seal Oil on Meal-Induced Symptoms and Gastric Accommodation in Patients with Subjective Food Hypersensitivity: A Pilot Study

Background: Food hypersensitivity is a prevalent condition with poorly characterized underlying mechanisms. In the present pilot study we investigated effects of seal oil and soy oil on meal-induced symptoms and gastric accommodation in patients with subjective food hypersensitivity (FH). Single dose experiment: On three consecutive days, 10 mL of seal oil, soy oil, or saline were randomly administered into the duodenum of 10 patients with subjective FH and 10 healthy volunteers through a nasoduodenal feeding tube 10–20 minutes before the ingestion of a test meal. Short-term treatment study: 24 patients with subjective FH were randomly allocated to 10 days’ treatment with either 10 mL of seal or soy oil, self-administrated through an indwelling nasoduodenal feeding tube, 3 times daily. In both experiments meal-induced abdominal symptoms and gastric accommodation were measured by visual analogue scales and external ultrasound respectively. Results: Symptoms and gastric accommodation were not significantly influenced by single doses of seal or soy oil. When given daily for 10 days, seal oil, but not soy oil, reduced total symptom scores significantly (P = 0.03). The symptomatic improvement was not associated with improvements in gastric accommodation. Conclusion: Daily administration of seal oil may benefit patients with subjective FH. The beneficial effect of seal oil in patients with subjective FH cannot be ascribed to improved gastric accommodation.