Certain foods and substances, including caffeine, sugar alcohols, and some types of dietary fiber, can worsen IBS-D symptoms by increasing gut motility or retaining fluid in the intestines. These factors explain, in part, why a low-FODMAP diet is recommended for people with IBS-D.
In a 12-week randomized controlled trial, researchers compared a low-FODMAP diet to one that replaced cereal grains (like wheat) with Tritordeum (a hybrid of durum wheat and wild barley), and found that both diets were equally effective at reducing IBS-D symptoms.[1]
Traditional dietary advice — such as avoiding trigger foods, limiting alcohol, and eating smaller, more frequent meals — is also effective (though the low-FODMAP diet is slightly more effective.)[2][3]
References
- ^Russo F, Riezzo G, Orlando A, Linsalata M, D'Attoma B, Prospero L, Ignazzi A, Giannelli GA Comparison of the Low-FODMAPs Diet and a Tritordeum-Based Diet on the Gastrointestinal Symptom Profile of Patients Suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome-Diarrhea Variant (IBS-D): A Randomized Controlled Trial.Nutrients.(2022-Apr-08)
- ^Mohammad Javad Zahedi, Vahideh Behrouz, Maryam AzimiLow fermentable oligo-di-mono-saccharides and polyols diet versus general dietary advice in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome: A randomized controlled trialJ Gastroenterol Hepatol.(2018 Jun)
- ^Irritable Bowel Syndrome: NIDDK; Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; cited Feb 2023