AIM: To investigate the effect of a new oral preparation, highly concentrated in fish cartilage, in a group of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) patients with chronic iron deficient anemia.METHODS: In an open label pilot study, we supplemented a group of 25 patients (11 with Crohn's disease and 14 with ulcerative colitis) in stable clinical conditions and chronic anemia with a food supplement which does not contain iron but contains a standardized fraction of fish cartilage glycosaminoglycans and a mixture of antioxidants (Captafer Medestea, Turin, Italy). Patients received 500 mg, twice a day during meals, for at least 4 mo. Patients were suggested to maintain their alimentary habit. At time 0 and after 2 and 4 mo, emocrome, sideremia and ferritin were examined. Paired data were analyzed with Student's t test.RESULTS: Three patients relapsed during the study (2 in the 3rt mo, 1 in the 4th mo), two patients were lost to follow up and two patients dropped out (1 for orticaria, 1 for gastric burning). Of the remaining 18 patients, levels of serum iron started to rapidly increase within the 2nd mo of treatment, P ＜ 0.05), whereas serum ferritin and hemoglobin needed a longer period to significantly improve their serum levels (mo 4) P ＜ 0.05. The product was safe, easy to administer and well tolerated by patients.CONCLUSION: These data suggest a potential new treatment for IBD patients with iron deficiency chronic anemia and warrant further larger controlled studies.