IBS_microbiota

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder that manifests with abdominal pain, bloating and alteration in bowel habit without an identifiable organic cause. IBS is commonly treated by restricting fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs) from the diet for a period of 3-6 weeks. Evidence from a randomised controlled trial suggests that this dietary modification is effective in the reduction of symptoms of IBS in approximately 50% of patients. Restriction of these food groups is speculated to reduce the activity and biomass of fermenting bacteria in the intestinal tract by starving them of their substrates. It has been previously demonstrated that a low FODMAP diet results in alterations in the faecal pH, concentration of short-chain fatty acids and bacterial abundance. In this study we compare IBS patients with healthy household controls before, during and after completion of the FODMAP diet.