Nutritional habits in functional dyspepsia and its subgroups: a comparative study.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Nutritional Science
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Limited data exists on the nutritional habits of functional dyspepsia (FD) patients.
• This study is the first to investigate FD subgroups based on Rome III criteria.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the nutritional habits of FD patients.
• To identify specific food items that may provoke dyspepsia symptoms in FD patients and its subgroups.

Main Methods:

• 168 adults with FD and 135 healthy controls participated.
• FD patients were categorized into epigastric pain syndrome (EP-FD), postprandial distress syndrome (PS-FD), and mixed (MX-FD) subgroups.
• Food frequency questionnaires and symptom-triggering food item identification were utilized.

Main Results:

• FD patients had a slightly higher BMI compared to controls.
• Fried/fatty foods, hot spices, and carbonated drinks were the most common symptom triggers.
• Carbonated drinks were more likely to trigger symptoms in the PS-FD subgroup.

Conclusions:

• Fatty, spicy foods, and carbonated drinks are common dyspepsia symptom triggers in FD patients.
• Carbonated drinks and legumes specifically trigger symptoms in the PS-FD subgroup.
• Dietary modification by removing trigger foods may alleviate FD symptoms.