IBS & FODMAP

Have you just been diagnosed IBS or suspecting you may have it, because you constantly feel.....

• Bloating
• Abdominal distension
• Constipation
• Diarrhoea
• Alternating bowel habit
• Excessive flatulence
• Lower abdominal pain

IBS is one of the most common conditions seen by gastroenterologists and primary-care physicians, and is associated with high medical costs. It is thought to affect 7 to 15% of the population worldwide, although rates of more than 20% have been reported.  And it is 1.5 times more common in women than men, more common in those with a lower socioeconomic status and commonly diagnosed before the age of 50 years 

A large proportion of people with IBS associate food intake with the development of gastrointestinal symptoms[1]. Consequently, dietary restriction (both evidence based and not) to control gastrointestinal symptoms is common in this population.

Foods commonly implicated with the onset of IBS symptoms include:

• dairy products, 
• wheat products, 
• caffeine, 
• cabbage, 
• onion, 
• peas, 
• beans and 
• spicy / fatty / smoked foods[2]. 

However, dietary restrictions have implications for nutrient intake, with one study reporting that nearly two thirds of subjects (all with IBS) had either limited or excluded certain foods from their regular diet, and of these, >10% were at risk of long-term nutritional deficiencies[1].

Among all the diet therapies available. FODMAP concept was build on evidence over many years, showing that the restriction of certain short-chain carbohydrates (lactose, fructose, sorbitol, fructans and GOS) improves IBS symptoms.  FODMAP  is an acronym which stands for Fermentable Oligo-Di-Mono-saccharides And Polyols.  The FODMAP diet was originally developed by the team at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. It  is a 3 phased diet, including 

June has completed FODMAP training with Monash University and she will be able to guide you through step by step through the FODMAP diet.  The major goal for June is to help her patients is to find a balance between good symptom control and expansion of the diet. 

1.Monsbakken, K.W., P.O. Vandvik, and P.G. Farup, Perceived food intolerance in subjects with irritable bowel syndrome-- etiology, prevalence and consequences. Eur J Clin Nutr, 2006. 60(5): p. 667-72.

2.Ostgaard, H., et al., Diet and effects of diet management on quality of life and symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Mol Med Rep, 2012. 5(6): p. 1382-90.