Prebiotic 'could help banish IBS'

[Polaris]

Article in the 'i' yesterday :

pressreader.com/uk/i-newspa...

Bimuno, the prebiotic has good reviews on Amazon and, interestingly, two mentioned an improvement in sleep.

[fbirder]

Just don’t try it if you’re lactose intolerant.

As somebody who has just discovered they have fructose malabsorption (which gives IBS-like symptoms) I can understand how removing those symptoms can aid sleep. Running to the loo every 40 minutes tends to keep you awake.

[fbirder]

I’ve just read the original paper. gastrojournal.org/#/article...

They compared small numbers of people with IBS. Some were given the prebiotic and followed a Mediterranean diet. The others were given placebo and followed a low-FODMAP diet.

Both groups saw changes in gut bacteria although the changes were different in the two groups.

Both groups saw a significant reduction in some IBS symptoms except for flatulence and gut rumbling. For those two only the low-FODMAP group showed a significant reduction.

The big difference was what happened when they stopped whatever regimen they were following. The low-FODMAP group saw a return of symptoms immediately. The prebiotic group saw a return of symptoms after two weeks.

Rather than ‘banishing’ IBS the authors say

“Intermittent prebiotic administration might therefore be an alternative to dietary restrictions for patients with functional gut symptoms.”

Sounds like it’s worth trying for people with IBS. It would be interesting to see how people get on with low-FODMAP plus prebiotic.