Global research trend and hotspot in the low FODMAP diet: a bibliometric analysis

According to national guidelines, a diet low in fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAP) is a second-line therapy option for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and improves functional intestinal symptoms. Numerous noteworthy results have been published in this field over the past fifteen years. This study aims to analyze the global research trend and hotspot of the low FODMAP diet research, and provide a comprehensive perspective and direction for researchers.

The Science Citation Index-Expanded of the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) was used to identify low FODMAP diet-related articles and reviews. Three bibliometric programs (CiteSpace, VOSviewer, Scimago Graphic) were utilized to analyze and visualize the annual publications, authors, countries, institutions, journals, citations, and keywords.

In total, 843 documents related to the low FODMAP diet research were published in 227 journals by 3,343 authors in 1,233 institutions from 59 countries. The United States, which was the most engaged nation in international collaboration, had the largest annual production and the fastest growth. The most productive organization was Monash University, and the most fruitful researcher was Gibson PR. Nutrients ranked first in terms of the number of published documents. The article "A diet low in FODMAPs reduces symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome" (Halmos EP, 2014) received the most co-citations. Keywords that appear frequently in the literature mainly involve two main aspects: the clinical efficacy evaluation and mechanism exploration of the low FODMAP diet. The term "gut microbiota" stands out as the most prominent keyword among the burst keywords that have remained prevalent till date.

The restriction stage of the low FODMAP diet is superior to other dietary therapies for IBS in terms of symptom response, but it has a negative impact on the abundance of gut Bifidobacteria and diet quality. Identification of biomarkers to predict response to the low FODMAP diet is of great interest and has become the current research hotspot.