Gut health naturally

//  by 

This week, the University of Gothenburg published a new study into IBS. In it, they found that dietary changes were more effective than medication for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)1.

This is incredibly exciting for nutritional therapists like myself. Many of us have witnessed first hand how dietary changes make huge changes in the IBS symptoms of our clients. Now the science is backing up what we have experienced in clinic for many years. 

Let’s take a closer look at what the study found…

Over four weeks, this randomised control trial compared two different diets against medication. The study comprised 300 participants with moderate to severe IBS. One group followed a low-FODMAP (see below) plus accepted NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines for IBS. The second group receiving dietary interventions ate a diet low in carbohydrates, and high in protein and fat. The third group received typical medication for IBS. After the initial four weeks, both groups on dietary interventions were encouraged to continue for a further 6 months.

The results after just four weeks showed that dietary changes ‘significantly reduced symptoms’ in 76% of the low-FODMAP cohort and in 71% of the low-carbohydrate group, compared to 58% of those receiving medication.

So, this study has shown that it is the most effective treatment for IBS, but what is the low-FODMAP diet?

FODMAP stands for fermentable oligo-saccharides, di-saccharides, mono-saccharides and polyols. Our gut bacteria can ferment these carbohydrates, leading to pain, bloating, diarrhoea and/or constipation; all typical symptoms of IBS.

To test whether these specific carbohydrates may be playing a role in symptoms, the low-FODMAP diet removes them from the diet for a certain period of time, before reintroducing them.

It is worth noting the the low-FODMAP diet should only be followed for a certain number of weeks, before the reintroduction phase. Unfortunately some IBS sufferers are told to remove all these foods, without being guided on how to put them back into the diet successfully. This then leads to a long-term restricted diet, which has a detrimental knock-on effect on gut bacteria. 

Instead the key is to test each food individually (and ideally with professional guidance) to find out which cause symptoms. The rest can then be reintroduced back into the diet.

Would you like to explore how dietary changes can help your IBS?

If you have been putting up with the symptoms of IBS, is now the time to try something new? I have worked with a number of clients with IBS, making changes to what and how they eat to ease symptoms, and rebalance their digestion.

If you would like to know more about how I work, I invite you to book a free 30-minute health review with me. In the call we will talk about your symptoms so that I can put together a personalised programme just for you. Book a time that suits you here.

1. Nybacka, S. et al. (2024) ‘A low fodmap diet plus traditional dietary advice versus a low-carbohydrate diet versus pharmacological treatment in irritable bowel syndrome (carbis): A single-centre, single-blind, randomised controlled trial’, The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology [Preprint]. doi:10.1016/s2468-1253(24)00045-1.