Current evidence for dietary therapies in irritable bowel syndrome.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the utility of a gluten-free diet (GFD) compared to traditional dietary advice (TDA) and a low-FODMAP diet (LFD) in managing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Results Summary
The study found that GFD was effective in improving IBS symptoms, with no significant difference in efficacy compared to TDA or LFD. However, TDA was noted as more patient-friendly and commonly used as a first-line dietary therapy.
Population
Individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Diet | increase | symptoms | individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) | in the majority | appears to trigger symptoms | #1 |
Diet | decrease | quality of life | individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) | - | associated with a reduced | #2 |
low-FODMAP diet (LFD) | decrease | IBS | - | - | demonstrating the efficacy | #3 |
gluten-free diet (GFD) | decrease | IBS | - | - | demonstrating the efficacy | #4 |
traditional dietary advice (TDA) | no change | efficacy | - | - | no difference noted | #5 |
low-FODMAP diet (LFD) | no change | efficacy | - | - | no difference noted | #6 |
gluten-free diet (GFD) | no change | efficacy | - | - | no difference noted | #7 |
traditional dietary advice (TDA) | neutral | - | - | - | more patient-friendly | #8 |
Dietary therapies | decrease | symptoms | patients with IBS | - | improve | #9 |
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Diet appears to trigger symptoms in the majority of individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and is associated with a reduced quality of life. There has been a recent focus on the role of dietary therapies to manage individuals with IBS. The aim of this review is to discuss the utility of traditional dietary advice (TDA), low-FODMAP diet (LFD) and gluten-free diet (GFD) in IBS. RECENT FINDINGS: Several recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been published demonstrating the efficacy of the LFD and GFD in IBS, with the evidence base for TDA being predominantly based on clinical experience, with emerging RCTs evaluating TDA. Only one RCT has been published to date comparing TDA, LFD and GFD head to head, with no difference noted between diets in terms of efficacy. However, TDA has been noted to be more patient-friendly and is commonly implemented as a first-line dietary therapy. SUMMARY: Dietary therapies have been demonstrated to improve symptoms in patients with IBS. In view of insufficient evidence to recommend one diet over another currently, specialist dietetic input in conjunction with patient preference is required to determine implementation of dietary therapies. Novel methods of dietetic delivery are required in view of the lack of dietetic provision to deliver these therapies.