Promising results of a specific diet for patients with irritable bowel syndrome

2023-06-05 14:15:41

Irritable bowel syndrome is a disease suffered by up to 20% of the population and whose symptoms are abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. Although it is not a fatal syndrome, it reduces the quality of life of the people who suffer from it and there are no effective treatments.

Some time ago, a study showed that people who suffer from the disease where diarrhea is predominant can benefit from a diet low in sucrose and starch, since some of these patients may not optimally digest these nutrients.

Taking this into account, a pilot study of this diet has been carried out to transfer it to the population.

The study is a collaboration between researchers from the Basque Culinary Center, including Lucia Gayoso, and Biodonostia, including Luis Bujanda, Professor of Medicine at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and head of the Area of ​​Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases from the IIS Biodonostia- OSI Donostialdea, as well as Koldo Garcia Etxebarria, doctor in genetics from the UPV/EHU and head of the Gastrointestinal Genetics Group of the IIS Biodonostia.

To make it easier to follow the diet, the chefs of the Basque Culinary Center designed a recipe book and menus following the patterns of this diet.

In total, 34 people, recruited by Biodonostia researchers, participated in this pilot study and at the end of the four-week study, 85% responded positively to the diet (reduction of more than 50 points on the scale of severity of the symptoms of the syndrome). of irritable bowel, a standard measure used in this type of study). The improvement in symptoms was significant and, especially, the quality of life of the participants improved, judging by the answers obtained in the questionnaires completed by the participants. In addition, the improvements in symptoms and quality of life were maintained after two months after the end of the study. Part of the success of the intervention was due to the great adherence to the diet, something that can be achieved thanks to the suggested menu recipe book.

Kiwi is a fruit with fairly low levels of starch and sucrose. (Photo: Amazings/NCYT)

The authors of this pilot study hope that these promising results will give impetus to a larger study, which can be used to compare this diet with other nutritional options or expand it to other groups of patients. They also want to thank all diet participants for their willingness to participate and complete the study.

This study has had the collaboration of researchers from the Donostia University Hospital, Onkologikoa and the LUM University (Italy); as well as the support of the Network Biomedical Research Center for Hepatic and Digestive Diseases (CIBEREHD), in Spain.

The study is entitled “The effect of starch- and sucrose-reduced diet accompanied by nutritional and culinary recommendations on the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome patients with diarrhoea”. And it has been published in the academic journal Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology. (Source: UPV/EHU)