Sunday Times 2
A gulp of sea water may ease stomach trouble and decrease the risk of cancer and stomach ulcers
A swig of sea water – taken from depths of 200 metres – may help tackle painful indigestion and reduce the risk of cancer and stomach ulcers. In a new trial, scientists are asking patients to drink deep-sea water with the idea that it will help kill the bacteria Helicobacter pylori.
Up to four in ten people become infected with this bacteria at some stage in their lives (it is most commonly caught in childhood), and it is the main cause of stomach ulcers. Although in many people the bacteria live harmlessly, they will trigger an ulcer in around 15 per cent of those infected.
It’s thought that in some people the bacteria damage the tough stomach lining, allowing the stomach acid to irritate the tissue underneath. The damage to the lining can also trigger recurrent bouts of indigestion, ulcers, and can increase the risk of stomach cancer.
If someone suffering from gastric pain is found to carry the bacteria (they are detected via a breath or stool test), they are usually prescribed antibiotics and a drug to reduce stomach acid production, known as a proton pump inhibitor.
However, there are concerns about drug-resistant strains of the bugs appearing, and there are also concerns about side-effects from both types of drug, including headache, diarrhoea, vertigo, and nausea.
Evidence has emerged recently to suggest that sea water may provide a drug-free alternative. An animal study at the Kochi Medical School in Japan showed that deep-sea water – with the salt removed – reduced the number of bacteria.
The same Japanese team then gave 23 people who were infected with the bacteria deep-sea water and found it reduced bacteria numbers by 60 per cent, compared with 25 per cent in those consuming conventional water.
Why exactly the deep-sea water is so toxic to the Helicobacter pylori is unclear, but it’s thought that water obtained from this depth contains high levels of the minerals calcium, potassium and magnesium, which affect the outer cell wall of the bacteria.
Now in a new trial at National Taiwan University Hospital involving 60 patients, half will drink 200ml of deep-sea water four times a day, one hour before meals and at bed time. The other patients will be given conventional water, and the results compared after two weeks.
© Daily Mail, London
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