Fiber diet and antacids in the short-term treatment of duodenal ulcer.

Eighty patients with active duodenal ulcer were randomized to a diet poor or rich in fiber for a treatment period of 4 weeks. In addition, all patients received one antacid tablet (Link, 1.1 g) four times a day (total neutralizing capacity, 120 mmol HCl/day). The ulcer healed in 27 (67.5%) of the 40 patients in the high-fiber group, compared with in 24 (60%) of the 40 patients in the low-fiber group (p less than 0.5). Ulcer symptoms did not differ significantly between groups during the 4-week treatment period. No serious side effects were recorded. Constipation, the most frequently registered side effect, was seen in 11 (27.5%) of the patients in the low-fiber group, compared within 4 (10%) in the high-fiber group (chi-square = 4.0; p less than 0.05). Patients with unhealed ulcer after 4 weeks' treatment received ranitidine instead of antacids. While they were receiving ranitidine treatment, no significant differences in healing rates were seen between the two dietary groups.