According to observations by American researchers, the Mediterranean diet has potential for combating the disorders associated with irritable bowel syndrome.
A pilot study conducted by researchers at Michigan Medicine and published in the scientific journal Neurogastroenterology & motility has observed that the Mediterranean diet can alleviate the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and represent a possible alternative to the low-Fodmap diet, which is low in short-chain carbohydrates.
Irritable bowel syndrome affects between 4 and 11 per cent of the global population with disorders such as abdominal pain, bloating, constipation or diarrhoea. The dietary approach that has proven most effective in combating it is the low-Fodmap diet, which is however quite restrictive and difficult to follow, and therefore not always sustainable in the long term. Fodmap refers to a series of short-chain carbohydrates, such as lactose, fructans, fructose, galactans and polyols (including sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol) which, found in many fibre-rich foods such as vegetables, cereals, legumes, fruit and mushrooms, can be poorly absorbed and rapidly fermented by bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.
The researchers therefore attempted to consider an alternative, comparing the effects of the Mediterranean diet with those of the low-Fodmap diet. "Restrictive diets, such as the low-Fodmap diet, can be difficult for patients to adopt," said Prashant Singh, gastroenterologist at Michigan Medicine and lead author of the study. "Beyond the issues of cost and time investment, there are also concerns relating to nutritional deficiencies and eating disorders. The Mediterranean diet interested us as an alternative because it is not an elimination diet and overcomes many of the limitations associated with the low-Fodmap diet."
The study participants, twenty in total and all affected by the syndrome, were divided into two groups: one followed the Mediterranean diet and the other the low-Fodmap diet for four weeks. The target to achieve was a 30 per cent reduction in the intensity of abdominal pain.
According to the observations, in the group following the Mediterranean diet, 73 per cent of patients achieved the improvement in symptoms, while in the low-Fodmap group the target was reached by 81.8 per cent.
The researchers consider the results sufficiently encouraging to justify future, larger controlled clinical trials to investigate the potential of the Mediterranean diet as an effective intervention for patients with irritable bowel syndrome. "This study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that the Mediterranean diet may be beneficial in dietary interventions for patients," said William Chey, physician, chief of Gastroenterology at the University of Michigan, president-elect of the American College of Gastroenterology and senior author of the study.
The Mediterranean diet could represent a valid long-term strategy in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, also considering its beneficial effects on cardiovascular, cognitive and general health.