CHICAGO – A diet that restricts wheat, beans, dairy, and fruit juice in children with irritable bowel syndrome reduced the frequency and severity of abdominal pain, according to a study presented at the annual Digestive Disease Week.
In a double-blind, randomized, crossover trial of 55 children, those who followed a low FODMAP (fermentable oligo-di-monosaccharides and polyols) diet decreased abdominal pain frequency 20%-30%, explained Dr. Bruno Chumpitazi of Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston.
In a video interview, Dr. Chumpitazi discusses the study's implications for the nearly 20% of school-age children and adolescents who may have IBS, and whether the low FODMAP diet could be a first-line therapy for those children.
