Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet Predicts Gastrointestinal and Anxiety Symptom Response in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder of gut-brain interaction, and diet plays a key role in management of symptoms. The low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAP) diet has been widely adopted in clinical practice. However, emerging evidence highlights the potential of other diet interventions for IBS. We recently showed in a 6-week randomized controlled trial in 59 patients with IBS and anxiety or depression symptoms that a Mediterranean diet (MD), rich in whole-grain cereals, vegetables, legumes, fruit, fish and olive oil, was feasible and reduced gastrointestinal (GI) and psychological symptom severity compared with habitual diet controls.¹ The gut, mental, and broader health benefits of an MD are proposed to be driven by its enrichment of the microbiome.².