Feature ArticleAddressing the Role of Food in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptom Management

- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gastrointestinal (GI) disorder denoted by abdominal pain and changes in bowel patterns, affecting 5% to 15% of the general population.
- Patients with IBS have long associated certain foods with exacerbation of their symptoms. More than half of IBS patients have self-reported food intolerances and worsening of symptoms with certain foods or meal related.
- IBS patients often attempt dietary modifications on their own by excluding foods they perceive to be causing their symptoms.
- Research is starting to catch up with what patients have reported about food interaction and their symptoms, and the role of diet is being increasingly recognized for the management of IBS.
- For clinicians, understanding the nuances of individual symptoms is vital to providing the most useful and beneficial dietary recommendations.

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have often associated the worsening of symptoms with specific foods. Research is starting to catch up with what patients have reported about food interaction and their symptoms, and the role of diet is being increasingly recognized for the management of IBS. Clinical guidance for nurse practitioners can be challenging because of limited data and guideline consensus along with the nuances of symptoms associated with IBS subtypes. This article summarizes some of the key themes and dietary recommendations by various gastrointestinal organizations, public health agencies, and dietary associations. By addressing the relevance of diet for symptom alleviation, nurse practitioners are able to better support patients and collaborate with dietitians to improve symptom management.