Does a low FODMAP diet improve symptoms in Mexican patients with IBS?

Despite the fact that the majority of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) complain that foods trigger or exacerbate their symptoms, the role of diet in IBS has not been adequately studied. It is very common for IBS patients to experiment with changes in their diet or limit the intake of certain foods, even before seeking medical attention. The most frequently implicated foods are wheat, corn, dairy products, coffee, tea, and citrus fruits. Therefore, it is not surprising that in a study of more than 1,200 patients with IBS, 63% were interested in knowing which foods to avoid. In fact, in relation to lifestyle changes, the aspects patients put in first place were eating small meals, increasing fiber intake, and avoiding fats, carbohydrates, dairy products, caffeine, alcohol, and high protein foods, such as meat. In addition, many IBS patients believe they have food allergies, even though these are actually very rare. Nevertheless, the majority of food-related IBS symptoms appear to be triggered by food intolerance. In the last few years, sensitivity to gluten and the fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs) has become the main research objective as a dietary cause of IBS symptoms. In fact, the most recent review carried out by the American College of Gastroenterology for establishing IBS treatment recommendations published in 2014 concluded that ‘‘specialized diets can improve symptoms in individual IBS cases’’. However, this recommendation was graded as weak, due to the