Mediterranean Diet Provides Some Relief for Nonconstipated Irritable Bowel Syndrome

TUESDAY, June 10, 2025 (HealthDay News) — 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.”

Abstract/Full Text