IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

• In 2012 Gastroenterology and Hepatology published a paper which noted that
  although clinical data is limited, low-FODMAP diets should be considered for patients with IBS, particularly in cases where consumption of certain foods can trigger symptoms.
• In 2017 Gastroenterology and Hepatology published a paper which stated that although low-FODMAP diets have shown substantial efficacy in improving IBS and IBD symptoms they can carry risk of nutritional inadequacies and unfavorable gut microbiota and thus should only be applied with proper education and preferably under the supervision of a health professional.
• In 2018 the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics published a review which noted that low-FODMAP diets for the management of IBS consist of three phases; FODMAP restriction, FODMAP reintroduction and personalisation. This method allows for the identification of personal FODMAP triggers and thus a less restrictive diet and a more diverse dietary intake.
• In 2016 Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology published a review which noted that up to 86 percent of studied IBS patients have seen improvements in gastrointestinal symptoms including bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal distention, and flatulence following a low-FODMAP diet. The authors of the review added that further studies are necessary to identify any possible negative effects of long-term restriction of FODMAPs.
• In 2017 Nutrients published a paper which stated that in both clinical trials and cohort studies low-FODMAP diets were particularly helpful in reducing abdominal pain and bloating associated with IBS – a disease that affects 7–15 percent of the general population.
• In 2018 Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics published a study in which 59 patients with IBS were randomized to either two weekly yoga sessions or three total nutrition counseling sessions on how to implement a low-FODMAP diet. After 12 weeks both groups showed improvements in IBS severity scores, though there was no difference between groups.
• In 2017 Gut published a review which noted that “at least 10 randomized trials” have shown low-FODMAP diets lead to a clinical response rate of 50 – 80 percent in IBS patients. The authors also note that recent studies have shown low-FODMAP diets have resulted in significant changes in gut microbiota, for which the relevance is still unknown.

Fibromyalgia & IBS

• In 2016 the Scandinavian Journal of Pain published a study in which 38 female fibromyalgia patients saw an average 50 percent reduction in IBS scores as well as significant reduction in fibromyalgia symptoms and pain scores after adhering to a low-FODMAP diet for 5 months. Seventy-seven percent of patients reported satisfaction with the low-FODMAP diet.
• In 2018 Neurogastroenterology and Motility published a study involving 103 IBS patients, in which 61 percent reported satisfactory relief from symptoms at short-term follow-up and 57 percent reported satisfactory relief at long-term follow-up, when following a low-FODMAP diet.
• In 2017 the Public Library of Science published a meta analysis of 10 studies for which the data showed that, while both diets were effective in treating IBS, low-FODMAP diets proved to be superior to traditional IBS dietary therapy in reducing IBS symptom severity scores.