Which diet for irritable bowel syndrome? We often come across advice to try to alleviate the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. But now comes new research from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden that explains how eating little sugar works better than drugs. You can read the results in the scientific journal Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.
The Swedish research that chose the diet for irritable bowel syndrome
The researchers asked about 300 patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome to follow for four weeks:
or one diet low in sugars and carbohydrates present in dairy products, wheat and certain fruits and vegetables, the so-called FODMAPwhich are absorbed with difficulty in the gastrointestinal tract, a high fiber diet with legumes, vegetables, especially cabbage, nuts and seeds, but with few carbohydrates, sugars and starch, or take medications for their problem.
Diet for irritable bowel syndrome more effective than drugs: here are the percentages
Somewhat surprisingly, both diets had better results than treatment with drugs. In detail after the four weeks of testing
76% of those who chose to follow the low FODMAP diet had a significant reduction in symptoms, the percentage dropped by five points to71% for those who chose the low carbohydrate dietthe group that followed therapy with drugs instead saw symptoms alleviated in 58% of cases.
According to the researchers, the most surprising result concerns the second diet, the one that did not exclude foods containing FODMAPs and contained a lot of fiber.
Drugs for irritable bowel syndrome
This research confirms theThe importance of nutrition in controlling the symptoms of this disease, which also has psychological components. Typical symptoms, in addition to bloating and abdominal cramps, are constipation or diarrhea. Patients often take laxatives or anti-diarrhea medications. In both cases there are side effects that can be important in the long run.