A type of bread IBS sufferers can tolerate
We all know that fibre is an essential part of everyone’s diet, but for IBS sufferers it can be a challenge to get enough fibre into their diet.
Researchers from the University of Helsinki gave two types of Rye bread – the standard loaf and a rye loaf that was low in FODMAPs (fermentable olgi-, di and monosaccharides and polyols) to 87 IBS suferers for four weeks. Then after a break of four weeks, switched the two breads for another period of four weeks.
As expected the standard Rye bread caused all the usual symptoms assocaited with IBS:
- abdominal pain
- diarrhoea
- constipation
but there were much milder when they ate the low-FODMAP bread. However to be completely symptom free researches suggest that IBS sufferers have to make other dietary changes e.g. excluding fruit and grains.
The modified Rye loaf may be one way for IBS sufferers to get more fibre into their diet.
Reference
R. Laatikainen, J. Koskenpato, S.-M. Hongisto, J. Loponen, T. Poussa, M. Hillilä and R. Korpela; 2016; Randomised clinical trial: low-FODMAP rye bread vs. regular rye bread to relieve the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Ailment Pharmacology and Therapeutics; Vol 44; Issue 5; pg 460–470
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