People with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) experience chronic intermittent symptoms, such as abdominal pain, bloating and/or altered bowel movements. These symptoms may negatively impact their daily life, prohibiting participation in social activities or leading to work absenteeism, and they are associated with increased healthcare utilisation.1,2 More than 85% of people with IBS indicate that food is one of the triggers for their gastrointestinal symptoms.3 Many of them have also tried diets, eliminated certain foods, taken supplements or used over-the-counter remedies before consulting a doctor or dietitian.4 Somewhat contradictorily, according to surveys of patients’ expectations in primary care, patients with IBS expect their general practitioner to provide reassurance or drug treatments, but less than 10% value dietary intervention.5 This is despite the fact that almost 95% of general practitioners report that they start the treatment of IBS by giving nutritional advice.5 Dietary interventions are also given a prominent place in the guidelines as both first- and second-line treatments for IBS.6–8
In daily clinical practice, the preferences and experiences of doctors, the available resources and access to dietitians, play an important role in choosing and implementing dietary interventions. Mistakes or misconceptions are not uncommon, sometimes caused by a lack of strong evidence for certain approaches or by contradictory findings in studies. Here, we discuss the mistakes that are made when managing patients with IBS through dietary interventions and provide advice on how to avoid them. Most of the discussion is evidence based, but where evidence is lacking the discussion is based on the clinical experience of the authors.
Source: ueg.eu/a/288
Founded in 1992 United European Gastroenterology (UEG) is the leading non-profit organisation for excellence in digestive health in Europe and beyond with its headquarters in Vienna. We improve the prevention and care of digestive diseases in Europe through providing top tier education, supporting research and advancing clinical standards.
Source: ueg.eu/about
