Liu J¹, Chey WD², Haller E², Eswaran S². Annu Rev Med. 2020 Jan 27;71:303-314. doi: 10.1146/annurev-med-050218-013625.

Author information

1 Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA; email: jerry.liu@phhs.org.

2 Department of Gastroenterology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA; email: wchey@med.umich.edu, emilyhal@med.umich.edu, seswaran@med.umich.edu.

Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most prevalent of gastrointestinal (GI) conditions, affecting millions of people worldwide. Given that most IBS patients associate their GI symptoms with eating food, specific dietary manipulation has become an attractive treatment strategy. A diet low in FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols) has generated the greatest level of scientific and clinical interest. Overall, 52-86% of patients report significant improvement of their IBS symptoms with elimination of dietary FODMAPs. Patients who experience symptom improvement with FODMAP elimination should undergo a structured reintroduction of foods containing individual FODMAPs to determine sensitivities and allow for personalization of the diet plan. This review discusses the literature surrounding the administration of the low-FODMAP diet and its efficacy in the treatment of IBS.