Low-FODMAP Diet: A New Fad?

By Amy Campbell Back in 2009 (can it really be that long ago?), I wrote a short series on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). IBS is a condition (not a disease) characterized by a number of symptoms including bloating, cramping, gas, diarrhea, and constipation. About one in five Americans has IBS, and having it can range from being mildly annoying to downright debilitating. There are different kinds of treatments available, including changing one's diet, exercising, stress reduction, and medication. A treatment from down under People who have IBS will tell you that sometimes the above approaches work for them, and sometimes they don't. Like dealing with diabetes, managing IBS is part art and part science. But thanks to researchers from Australia, a newer approach is available that may help the millions of IBS sufferers get a little more relief. This treatment, or approach, is called the "low-FODMAP diet." What are FODMAPs? Most of you are probably already quite familiar with carbohydrate; at least, how carbohydrate affects blood glucose. There are different kinds of carbohydrates, including a group called fermentable short-chain carbohydrates. FODMAPs is an acronym for "fermentable, oligo-, di- and mono-saccharides and polyols." This group of carbs is fermented, or used as food, by bacteria in the gut. Fermentation can cause those pesky symptoms of IBS, such as bloating, gas, and cramping or pain. FODMAPs pull water into the gut, which in turn, can cause diarrhea. Some people are...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - Category: Diabetes Authors: Source Type: blogs