Modified Rye Bread May Reduce Some Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Disease

A new study revealed that patients suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome who consumed a modified rye bread experienced milder symptoms of IBS compared to those who ate a regular rye bread.

The study, published in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, suggests that eating a rye bread modified to have a low "FODMAP" ((fermentable oligo- di- and mono-saccharides and polyols) can lessen the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, including abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation.

For the study, the researchers conducted a randomized double blind controlled cross-over study of 87 individuals with IBS recruited from the internet and Aava Medical Centre in Helsinki, Finland. The participants were given regular rye bread and low-FODMAP rye bread for four weeks. Both rye breads contained the same amount of ingredient with similar taste, appearance and packaging. The regular bread was prepared using traditional rye sourdough, while the modified bread was made using a specific sourdough system with a clearly lower FODMAP content.

The researchers measured the symptoms of IBS in each participant using the symptom severity scoring system (IBS-SSS) and visual analogue scale (VAS). Breath Hydrogen Test was used to measure colonic fermentation and food diaries were used to measure the dietary intake of the participant. Additionally, the researchers also measured the quality of life of each participant.

According to a press release, the researchers discovered that the low-FODMAP rye bread consumption led to milder symptoms in the VAS measurement. However, the researchers did not see significant differences between consuming the regular rye bread and the low-FODMAP bread in both the IBS-SSS and quality of life.

In both the regular rye bread and low-FODMAP rye bread, the levels of dietary fiber intake of the participants were higher than the baseline. The led the researchers to believe that including a low-FODMAP diet might be one way to increase the dietary fiber intake of patients with IBS.

A low-FADMOP diet cuts out most fruits and grains and cannot be recommended or considered healthy. This is why the researchers encourage consumers with IBS to discuss it first to their health care providers before changing their diet.