The FODMAP-diet to manage and treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome

What is it about?

The objective of this review article is to elucidate the pathophysiological central and peripheral gut-related mechanisms through which FODMAPs cause GI-symptoms, to expound the implementation of the FODMAP-diet and to highlight and confute concerns around the safety and risks of the FODMAP-diet long-term.  This article extrapolates evidence that Low-FODMAP-diet (LFD) does not negatively affect overall nutritional adequacy and may have a more modest effect on the gut microbiota composition than previously considered, thereby refuting detractors’ arguments that the FODMAP-diet is risky and unsafe and leads to negative health outcomes for IBS-patients.

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Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

Why is it important?

 Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a complex, debilitating, chronic disorder of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) with a multifactorial etiopathogenesis, pathophysiology and clinical phenotype.  The economic, psychological and social impacts of DGBIs are significant: IBS-patients report reduced quality of life and the burden to healthcare systems is substantial, as IBS accounts for billions of dollars in medical costs.  The FODMAP diet (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols) is a pathophysiologically-founded dietary therapy in IBS-management and is increasingly used as an evidence-based first-line therapeutic strategy  IBS-management necessitates a patient-centred holistic, biopsychosocial integrated treatment approach. This requires synergy between general practitioners, gastroenterologists and dieticians to provide IBS-patients with expert medical and nutrition counselling and advice about the efficacy of the FODMAP-diet as a personalized precision-nutrition therapy for managing IBS to generate optimal clinical outcomes for IBS-patients

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