Eating a diet rich in vegetables, legumes and nuts may help ease symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the authors of a new study suggest. The Mediterranean diet has long been cited as the reason why Italians and Spaniards live to an older age in full health. British researchers have now found that this diet may be more effective in treating IBS.
The authors evaluated the diets of more than a hundred adults and found that those who followed a Mediterranean diet experienced significant improvement compared to people who did not follow a plant-based diet. Experts have described the Mediterranean diet as a simple, enjoyable and very effective first step in managing IBS and said the results of the study may help doctors with what to advise patients on how best to alleviate their problems.
“For millions of people around the world, IBS symptoms can seriously affect daily life. Our study provides strong evidence that a Mediterranean diet can be a simple, enjoyable and highly effective first step in managing this common disease,” said study co-author Dr Imran Aziz from the University of Sheffield.
“The Mediterranean diet has been shown to be not only as effective as traditional dietary recommendations, but actually significantly better at relieving symptoms. This is great news because it means patients can adopt a widely recognized healthy eating regimen that offers better relief,” he added.
