IDDF2021-ABS-0135 A randomized controlled trial comparing the effect of low fodmap dietary advice and nice dietary advice on symptom control and quality of life in chinese adults with irritable bowel syndrome

Background Western studies have shown the beneficial effect of low FODMAP (fermentable oligo-, di- and monosaccharides and polyols) diet on symptoms and quality of life (QOL) in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). There had not been a head-to-head comparison between low FODMAP dietary advice and the standard dietary advice by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), focusing on how and when to eat, in IBS subjects in Chinese. This study aimed at comparing the efficacy of low FODMAP dietary advice versus NICE standard dietary advice in Chinese IBS subjects. Methods This is a multi-center, prospective, open-label 2-armed dietary intervention study. Seventy-two Chinese adults who fulfilled Rome III criteria for IBS were enrolled in three public hospitals in Hong Kong between October 2014 and June 2018. Each subject was randomized to receive the low FODMAP dietary advice (group A) or the NICE standard IBS dietary advice (2012 version) (group B) for 8 weeks. A 10-point Likert scale symptom score (lower score indicating milder symptom) and IBS-QOL score (higher score indicating better QOL) were rated at baseline, week 4 and week 8. A mixed-effect model was used to compare the scores between both groups. Results Four subjects in each group dropped out; sixty-four subjects completed the study (mean age 47.5 ± 13.5, 59.4% female). Both groups demonstrated significant improvement in overall symptom scores (group A: from 5.94 to 3.91 to 3.72; group B: from 6.06 to 4 to 3.75; P Conclusions Both low FODMAP diet and NICE IBS diet are effective in improving symptoms and QOL scores in Chinese IBS adult subjects.