Can The Low FODMAP Diet Help With Digestive Issues?

1 min

The Low FODMAP Diet is not a weight-loss diet, it is designed for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and is sometimes recommended for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. The classic digestive symptoms this eating plan addresses can include diarrhea, gas, bloating, abdominal pain or discomfort, fatigue, and headaches. FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharide and polyols. It is these compounds (in many common carbohydrates) that may be difficult to digest and lead to bacterial fermentation causing gas and bloating. Many of the digestive complaints the graduates of our Integrative Medicine Fellowship are seeing connect with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and are often improved on a diet that lowers the intake of FODMAPs.

FODMAPs include wheat, rye, onions and legumes; lactose (found in soft cheese, yogurt and milk), fructose (as in high-fructose corn syrup and sugar), honey and certain fruits, including apples and pears. Artificial sweeteners, such as sorbitol, are also regarded as FODMAPs, and the diet limits fiber as well. Eliminating these foods often allows one to more easily digest and process food without significant symptoms. This can lead to the ability to identify which ones bring on IBS symptoms most reliably once individual foods are gradually added back to the diet after several weeks of steady relief. The FODMAPs responsible vary from person to person and can frequently change over time. Learn more about a Low FODMAP Diet.

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