Low-FODMAP-diet in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Offers Benefits Not Only in Terms of Gastrointestinal Symptoms, but Also in Terms of Psychopathology in the Medium- and Long-Term

IntroductionLow-FODMAP (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols) diets are strongly recommended to improve irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms. They are also hypothesized to improve the psychopathological status that often accompanies the syndrome. A study (Ledochowski et al., 2000) suggested that the ingestion of FODMAPs affected negatively the mood and that the elimination of dietary FODMAPs improved depressive symptoms.Objectives/aimsWe aimed to assess the levels of psychopathology pre- and post-diet in IBS patients free of any severe psychiatric disease (e.g., bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia) or alcohol/substance abuse.MethodsWe consecutively recruited 75 IBS outpatients (68% females; age range = 21–68 years) at the Gastrointestinal Outpatient Center of our University Hospital. They filled out the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), a visual analogue scale (VAS) to rate the intensity of abdominal bloating/pain, and a 2-week diary card registering the frequency of bloating/pain. Then, they were blindly assigned to a low-FODMAP diet, a low-FODMAP gluten-free diet and a control diet for 4 weeks. During the last 2 weeks they filled out a 2nd diary card and rerated the intensity of bloating/pain. Patients were reassessed after a 16-month follow-up. Independent t-test, χ2 test, and one-way ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc test were used.ResultsBaseline characteristics did not differ between the three groups. Post-diet and at follow-up, the two low-FODMAP diets, vs. the test diet, improved not only the intensity and frequency of bloating/pain, but also the SCL-90-R GSI, anxiety, and phobic anxiety scores (P-values < 0.05).ConclusionsThe low-FODMAP diet may improve psychopathology in IBS patients.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.