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Mediterranean Diet Provides Some Relief for Nonconstipated Irritable Bowel Syndrome

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on June 10, 2025.

via HealthDay

TUESDAY, June 10, 2025 -- Adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MD) provides symptom relief in adults with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) or mixed bowel pattern IBS (IBS-M) according to a study published online April 24 in Neurogastroenterology & Motility.

Prashant Singh, M.B.B.S., from Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor, and colleagues conducted a pilot randomized trial to compare the efficacy of the MD to a diet low in fermentable oligo-, di-, monosaccharides, and polyols (low-FODMAP diet [LFD]). Analysis included 20 adults with IBS-D or IBS-M (10 in the MD group and 10 in the LFD group).

The researchers found that 73 percent of the MD group met the primary end point of ≥30 percent decrease in abdominal pain intensity for ≥2/4 weeks versus 81.8 percent of the LFD group. While not statistically significant, a higher proportion of the LFD group reported adequate relief and met the responder end point for IBS-symptom severity score (SSS; 50-point reduction) versus the MD group (54.6 versus 27.3 percent for IBS-adequate relief and 81.8 versus 45.5 percent for IBS-SSS). Over the four-week treatment period, the LFD group also had a significantly greater reduction in IBS-SSS than the MD group (−105.5 versus −60).

"In addition to the issue of being costly and time-consuming, there are concerns about nutrient deficiencies and disordered eating when trying a low FODMAP diet," Singh said in a statement. "The Mediterranean diet interested us as an alternative that is not an elimination diet and overcomes several of these limitations related to a low FODMAP diet."

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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