How does a Low FODMAP Diet Helps with Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
IBS affects around 1 in 5 Australians and is more common among women than in men. It is a disorder that impacts the gastrointestinal tract causing symptoms such as abdominal pain, cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and/or constipation.
Although IBS is often accompanied by unpleasant symptoms that can negatively impact an individual, it does not cause any permanent damage to the digestive tract or lead to serious illness such as cancer.
In accordance to the Rome criteria, one of the diagnostic tools used to identify the characteristic symptoms includes:
Recurrent abdominal pain, on average, at least one day per week in the last three months associated with two or more of the following criteria:
Related to defecation
Associated with a change in the frequency of stool
Associated with a change in the form (appearance) of stool
*Criteria fulfilled for the last three months with symptom onset at least six months before diagnosis.
Dietary management is one way people manage with the unpleasant IBS symptoms. Developed right here in Australia by Monash University, is the low FODMAP diet.
What are FODMAPs?
FODMAPs is an acronym for “Fermentable, Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides And Polyols.” In simpler terms, FODMAPs are certain types of carbohydrates (e.g. sugars, starches, fibre) that are prevalent in the diet.
Generally, research found that our intestines cannot absorb FODMAPs very well. For most, these foods are not an issue unless you over-consume them. However, there are some people who are sensitive to them.
FODMAPs are very small carbohydrates and can draw water into your gut, causing an increase in the amount of fluid in the bowel. This can contribute to diarrhoea, speeding up an individual’s digestion. Some may also experience bloating due to the influx of fluid in the gut.
Plus, FODMAPs are easily fermented by the bacteria in our gut, which means accelerated growth for these bacteria/yeast/organisms living in your intestine (don’t worry, everyone has these microbes in their guts!) leading to gas production, filling and stretching your gut: which can lead to abdominal discomfort, bloating and cramping.
Therefore, if you eat too much FODMAPs, they can stay around in your digestive tract and ferment and therefore change the speed of digestion due to the combination of gas and water. This is not ideal as it often results in gas, pain and diarrhoea.
If the FODMAPs are the culprit of the unpleasant symptoms of IBS, this means that decreasing your intake in these certain types of food should help with decreasing the symptoms. Though more research is needed, to date, studies have found that people with IBS have found it to improve their symptoms through avoiding FODMAPs.
How does a low FODMAP diet work?
The low FODMAP diet involves three steps:
Restriction: Under an expert’s guidance, you’ll stop eating high FODMAP foods for 2-6 weeks.
Reintroduction: Once your tummy calms down, you can bring back foods one at a time at a rate of one item per week, with guidance from your doctor or dietitian. You might discover that you’re sensitive to only one or two FODMAP carbs, not all of them.
Personalisation: You may have different reactions to some FODMAP carbs than other people. The goal is to figure out what foods trigger your digestive problems and create a diet that gives you all the nutrients you need but includes only the FODMAPs you can handle.
The low FODMAP diet is not a long-term diet. It is used to determine your personal dietary triggers to improve your IBS symptoms. Once you go through the three steps, many individuals can eat freely again and will only have to restrict certain foods that belong to the high FODMAP category.
How can a dietitian help?
If you’ve read to this point, you’d understand that it can be tricky to differentiate low and high FODMAP foods. It is absolutely essential to work with your doctor and a dietitian who can help you limit FODMAPs that may worsen your IBS symptoms but also keep a balanced diet to ensure that you meet all your nutritional needs.
Our team here at Holistic Dietetics will be able to go through with you on how your diet can look to help you reduce your IBS symptoms while ensuring that you have enough intake from all food groups to meet your nutrition requirements.
Summary
The low FODMAP diet has shown to be effective in some individuals who suffer from IBS. This may help them improve the quality of life with the reduction of IBS symptoms; however, it could lead to nutritional deficiencies (e.g. lack in calcium due to total restriction on dairy products) therefore it is important to work with experts in IBS diagnosis and management of symptoms such as your doctor and dietitian.
Are you looking for support with a low FODMAP diet?
Or want to explore how diet can help you manage your IBS symptoms with an expert?
Book in for a virtual or face-to-face appointment at Holistic Dietetics today for a comprehensive assessment & plan.