The Impact of Low FODMAP Diet in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
AT2 ASSIGNMENT 2: Assignment Requirements
You are asked to construct a mock-research article using the results provided to you. This is an extremely challenging yet very rewarding assignment.
My advice would be – get started. Put pen-to-paper/fingers-to-keyboard and write something….anything. Getting momentum is difficult. You might begin by writing a general description of the overall article or you could write a few sentences about each of the major characters (e.g. irritable bowel syndrome and low FODMAP diets). Write as if you were talking to someone – you can polish it up later. The important thing is – getting started. The following information describes the major requirements of each section. Use this in conjunction with the other support materials provided to get the most out of this assignment.
The maximum word count for assignment is 2000 words. The penalty for exceeding this limit =
1-‐100 words over: 4% of total marks
101-‐200 words over: 8% of total marks
201-‐300 words over: 12% of total marks
301-‐400 words over: 16% of total marks
>401 words over: 20% of total marks
A: TITLE:
Do not exceed two lines – 100 characters including spaces
Titles should include sufficient detail for indexing purposes (on databases such as PubMed) but be general enough for readers outside the field to appreciate what the paper is about.
B: ABSTRACT
250 words
Typically, an abstract provides one or two lines regarding the importance and context of the current work, a statement of aims, a brief description of the methods, the major findings which include a summary of the data e.g. in an intervention study what factors changed and degree of change and a conclusion. This is often difficult to fit into such a brief number of words. You can however, assume a large amount of previous knowledge in terms of background and methodology on behalf of the reader. This allows you to focus more on what new information the current article is presenting. The abstract should not contain any undefined abbreviations or unspecified references.
Use the conventional subheadings in your abstract:
BACKGROUND:
AIM:
METHODS:
RESULTS:
CONCLUSION
C: INTRODUCTION
500 words
Your introduction should provide a brief but relevant literature review that places the importance of this study within the context of the current literature. While the included discussion will be specific to the topic, you can funnel your logical flow of ideas down from a “more general” level to a “more specific” level that's related to the aim.
The Impact of Low FODMAP Diet in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Name:
Institution:
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Low FODMAP diet has often been linked to the reduction of gastrointestinal symptoms in patients that have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). However, there is little evidence of its effectiveness when compared with high FODMAP diet. While several studies have focused on the impact of low FODMAP diet on gastrointestinal symptoms, those that have gone an extra mile to assess its effect on inflammatory markers and carbohydrate malabsorption are limited.
AIM: The current study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a low FODMAP diet in improving inflammatory markers, carbohydrate malabsorption, and gastrointestinal symptoms in patients that have IBS.
METHODS: The study carried out a controlled, randomised, single blind crossover study on patients with IBS from 2010 to 2012. The study excluded patients with pre-existing diagnosed ulcerative colitis, cystic fibrosis, crohn’s disease, celiac disease, lactose intolerance, as well as other chronic metabolic, gastrointestinal, or neurological diseases. A 6-week crossover intervention of low FODMAP and high FODMAP were undertaken by the participants and faecal, blood, and breath samples regularly collected.
RESULTS: Results show significant reductions in gastrointestinal symptoms including bloating, the passage of wind, and passage of wind. Significant changes were also shown in hydrogen, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), IL-6, IL-10, butyrate, and human beta-defensin-2 (HBD-2) inflammatory markers. There was no significant impact in the reduction of tumour necrosis factor (TNF α), lactoferrin, and methane gas concentration. There was an increase in calprotectin, but it was not significant.
CONCLUSION: Low FODMAP diet significantly improves gastrointestinal symptoms, carbohydrate malabsorption, and inflammatory markers in patients with IBS.
INTRODUCTION
IBS affects up to 1 in 5 people and usually develops during the age of between 20 and 30 years (1). Women are twice as likely to be affected by the condition compared to men. While the patients with the condition may improve over time, IBS is often lifelong. The precise cause of IBS is not yet known but problems with food digestion, and increased gut sensitivity has been linked to the condition by many experts (1). In addition, psychological factors like stress may contribute to incidences of IBS. While there exists no cure for the condition, lifestyle and diet changes can help in its management. In this regards, the patient can identify and avoid the drinks and food types that trigger symptoms, alter fibre amount in diet, reduce stress levels, and engage in regular physical exercises.
Low FODMAP diet has been recognized to effectively help in the management of IBS (2). FODMAPS refer to short-chain carbohydrates which are inadequately absorbed and include fructose, polyols, lactose, galacto-oligosaccharides, and fructans (2). These short-chain carbohydrates are highly fermentable, and as such, they increase the intestine osmotic load (3). Low FODMAP diet, therefore, contain reduced levels of these carbohydrates. Low FODMAP diets present an opportunity through which patients with IBS can be treated. Through low FODMAP diet, evidence has shown that patients can exhibit carbohydrates malabsorption (4). Low FODMAP diet has also been shown to improve abdominal pain, bloating, and flatulence in patients that have IBS (4). This is in contrast to standard diet patients. Therefore, as shown, several studies have linked low FODMAP diet to the improvement in symptoms of patients with IBS.
Changes to FODMAP content is expected to affect a number of inflammatory markers. The blood inflammatory markers that are expected to be altered as a result of the changes in the FODMAP content include hs-CRP, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF α. In regards to the faecal inflammatory markers, they include HBD-2, lactoferrin, calprotectin, and butyrate. Therefore, the results will seek to evaluate how these inflammatory markers will be altered by the changes in the FODMAP content.
Various studies have been conducted in relation to the consequence of low FODMAP diet on symptoms of patients with IBS. According to one study (5), there was no major difference between low FODMAP intervention and the traditional dietary advice directed to IBS patients. The dietary advice for patients with IBS typically encompasses avoidance of large meal portions, regular patterns of meal, reduced ingestion of insoluble fibres, caffeine, fat, and gas-producing foods (5). Another study sought to find if low FODMAP diet contributes to the improvement in symptoms in patients with IBS (3). The study, however, focused on hydrogen/methane breath testing and therefore other important gastrointestinal symptoms were not considered. However, the study concluded that IBS patients’ improved. The current study sought to assess the impact of low FODMAP diet on more aspects related to IBS patients including inflammatory markers, breath gas concentration, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Therefore, the current study covered a wider breadth in regards to the patient well-being. This study thus aims to assess the importance of a low FODMAP diet in improving inflammatory markers, carbohydrate malabsorption, and gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with IBS.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
RESULTS
Of the 50 participants that commenced the study, 39 completed it. Of these 39, 9 are males, while 30 are females. The results show how low FODMAP diet impacts IBS patients in comparison to high FODMAP diet. Results indicate a significant reduction in gastrointestinal symptoms including bloating (61%), passage of wind (55%), and abdominal pain (48%). There was no significant decrease in patient satisfaction with stool consistency. For the blood inflammation markers, results show a significant decrease in hs-CRP (53%) and IL-6 (15%). There was a significant increase in IL-10 (42%), while the decrease in TNF α (10%) was not significant. As for the faecal inflammatory markers, noteworthy changes were shown in HBD-2 and butyrate. While HBD-2 depicted a significant decrease (32%), butyrate showed a noteworthy increase (25%). There were no significant...