Gut Microbiota Manipulation in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Increased knowledge suggests that disturbed gut microbiota, termed dysbiosis, might promote the development of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms. Accordingly, gut microbiota manipulation has evolved in the last decade as a novel treatment strategy in order to improve IBS symptoms. In using different approaches, dietary management stands first in line, including dietary fiber supplements, prebiotics, and probiotics that are shown to change the composition of gut microbiota, fecal short-chain fatty acids and enteroendocrine cells densities and improve IBS symptoms. However, the exact mixture of beneficial bacteria for each individual remains to be identified. Prescribing nonabsorbable antibiotics still needs confirmation, although using rifaximin has been approved for diarrhea-predominant IBS. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has recently gained a lot of attention, and five out of seven placebo-controlled trials investigating FMT in IBS obtain promising results regarding symptom reduction and gut microbiota manipulation. However, more data, including larger cohorts and studying long-term effects, are needed before FMT can be regarded as a treatment for IBS in clinical practice.