Abstract
BackgroundResearch has demonstrated that low fermentable oligosaccharide, disaccharide, monosaccharide and polyol (FODMAP) diets improve gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome sufferers. Exercise-related GI issues are a common cause of underperformance, with current evidence focusing on the use of FODMAP approaches with recreationally competitive or highly trained athletes. However, there is a paucity of research exploring the potential benefit of FODMAP strategies to support healthy, recreational athletes who experience GI issues during training. This study therefore aimed to assess whether a short-term LOWFODMAP diet improved exercise-related GI symptoms and the perceived ability to exercise in recreational runners.MethodsSixteen healthy volunteers were randomly assigned in a crossover design manner to either a LOWFODMAP (16.06 ± 1.79 g·d− 1) or HIGHFODMAP (38.65 ± 6.66 g·d− 1) diet for 7 days, with a one week washout period followed by a further 7 days on the alternate diet. Participants rated their gastrointestinal symptoms on an adapted version of the Irritable Bowel Syndrome-Severity Scoring System (IBS-SSS) questionnaire before and at the end of each dietary period. Perceived ability to exercise (frequency, intensity and duration) in relation to each dietary period was also rated using a visual analogue scale. Resting blood samples were collected prior to and on completion of each diet to determine plasma intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) as a marker of acute GI injury.ResultsOverall IBS-SSS score significantly reduced in the LOWFODMAP condition from 81.1 ± 16.4 to 31.3 ± 9.2 (arbitrary units; P = 0.004). Perceived exercise frequency (z = 2.309, P = 0.02) and intensity (z = 2.687, P = 0.007) was significantly improved following a short-term LOWFODMAP approach compared to HIGHFODMAP. No significant differences were reported between dietary conditions for plasma I-FABP (P > 0.05).ConclusionsA short-term LOWFODMAP diet under free-living conditions reduced exercise-related GI symptoms and improved the perceived ability to exercise in otherwise healthy, recreational runners. These findings may be explained by a reduction in indigestible carbohydrates available for fermentation in the gut. The therapeutic benefits of LOWFODMAP diets in recreational and trained athletes during sustained training periods warrants further investigation.
Highlights
Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharaides and polyols (FODMAPs) are short-chain carbohydrates that are widespread in the diet in foods such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, wheat, grains, legumes, and are commonly added to processed foods to improve palatability
A significant main effect was observed (F = 7.091, P = 0.0003, ηp2 = 0.336), with participants reporting consuming less total (Table 1) and relative carbohydrate intake during the LOWFODMAP condition compared with the HIGHFODMAP condition (2.79 ± 0.30 g·kg− 1·d− 1 and 3.91 ± 0.36 g·kg− 1·d− 1 respectively, P = 0.003)
There were no significant differences reported for dietary fat or protein intake between experimental conditions or in comparison to habitual intake
Summary
Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharaides and polyols (FODMAPs) are short-chain carbohydrates that are widespread in the diet in foods such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, wheat, grains, legumes, and are commonly added to processed foods to improve palatability. The limited availability of the GLUT5 transporter results in fructose malabsorption when it is present in excess of glucose [3,4,5,6,7]. Fructose malabsorption is commonly reported both within irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) sufferers (45%) and healthy individuals (34%) [5]. Research has demonstrated that low fermentable oligosaccharide, disaccharide, monosaccharide and polyol (FODMAP) diets improve gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome sufferers. There is a paucity of research exploring the potential benefit of FODMAP strategies to support healthy, recreational athletes who experience GI issues during training. This study aimed to assess whether a short-term LOWFODMAP diet improved exercise-related GI symptoms and the perceived ability to exercise in recreational runners
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