Muscle & Fitness UK – August 2019

NUTRITION

100 MUSCLE & FITNESS / AUGUST 2019

IBS Treatment - FODMAP

One of the most successful therapies for the treatment

of IBS has found to be through manipulating our

dietary intake. Manipulating our diet to have a lower

intake of fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides,

monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAP) food has

been shown to significantly decrease symptoms

of IBS (abdominal pain, bloating and flatulence).

FODMAP foods refer to a particular type of dietary

carbohydrates that are classed as “fermentable” due

to a lack of hydrolase enzymes within the gut to break

them down or incomplete absorption in the small

intestine(5). FODMAPs are short chain carbohydrates

such as fructose (in excess of glucose), fructans,

sorbitol, mannitol and lactose (fruits, onions, wheat,

legumes & dairy) (Marsh, 2016) that due to insufficient

microbiome are poorly digested by the lower intestine

• termed malabsorption - causing rapid luminal
  fermentation in the colon, increasing gas production
  (hydrogen & carbo dioxide)(6) and gut osmolality leading
  to the previously mentioned functional systems of IBS.
  Research has established(1,2,7) that low FODMAP diets
  have been shown to be very successful in alleviating
  the vast majority of IBS symptoms by excluding/
  restricting food sources composed of these short chain
  carbohydrates that cause us trouble. The first evidence
  of this was in 2006, a study(6) showed that within a
  population of individuals that reported symptoms of
  IBS and showed signs of malabsorption of fructose,
  after following a diet restricting fructose and fructans

intake 74% of the sample reported alleviated IBS

functional symptoms. Following this, research has

displayed evidence that high FODMAP diets aggravate

symptoms of IBS via increased volume of fermented

hydrogen and liquid transported to the proximal

colon(1). Since then, research has invested time into

food composition analysis(7) to build a comprehensive

list of high and low FODMAP foods.

How to use this

For individuals who suffer from functional symptoms

of IBS using the information to inform your dietary

intake could, according to current research findings,

aid to reduce symptoms of IBS. However, whilst

this list is extensive it is worth noting that in some

cases, particular low FODMAP foods can become

high FODMAP if eaten in high quantities. Without

manipulating your diet to only include low FODMAP

foods, some quick and easy steps you could take

are; first, eliminate onions and garlic from your diet

altogether, avoid fruit juices/ fruit salads and do not

consume any processed foods e.g. takeaways, ready

meals and/ or cured meats (processed foods hold little

to no nutritional value and can increase inflammation

of the gut, exacerbating IBS or even lead to IBD).

To effectively keep up to date with FODMAP foods

and low FODMAP meal ideas I recommend using the

Monash Uni Low FODMAP Diet App.

To implement these changes into your diet, you may

find trying everything at once too restricting. It is rare

PHOTO CREDITS: BIGSTOCK