Effects of the fodmap diet in children and adolescents with irritable bowel syndrome - systematic review

INTRODUCTION: Food is a triggering factor for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms. One therapeutic management option that has had beneficial effects is a low-FODMAP diet (acronym for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols). OBJECTIVE: To analyze the efficacy and effects of a low-FODMAP diet in pediatric patients with IBS. METHODS: Systematic review using data from PubMed, SciELO and BVS using the descriptors “(Irritable bowel syndrome) AND (FODMAP)”, age filter from 0 to 18 years, in English, Portuguese and Spanish, with a 10-year temporal filter. Duplicate articles, articles not in agreement with the theme and non-scientific work were excluded. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: 445 articles were found, but only 3 articles were selected among the eligibility criteria. The studies analyzed make comparisons between the test group and the placebo group, or compare children on a typical American infant diet with a reduced FODMAP diet. It is evident that the low FODMAP diet reduces the symptoms of IBS, but it has factors that make it difficult to be practicable, such as: difficulty in being taught and understood, high cost, impact on the intestinal microbiota, presence of side effects such as constipation, in addition to the impact psychological impact of these restrictions for this age group. CONCLUSION: A low-FODMAP diet is a therapy that alleviates the clinical conditions manifested in IBS, but its applicability is limited. More clinical and experimental studies are needed in order to establish whether the benefits of inserting this restrictive diet outweigh the possible harms.