Dietary measures are most effective in patients with irritable bowel syndrome who have abnormalities in carbohydrate digestion genes.
- In cases of irritable bowel syndrome, people with a defective hCAZyme gene are more likely to see their condition improve by following a diet low in fermentable carbohydrates (FODMAP).
- In patients with diarrhea-predominant disease (IBS-D), those with the defective hCAZyme gene were six times more likely to respond positively to dietary measures.
- “hCAZyme enzymes play a key role in carbohydrate digestion,” according to the researchers.
What if using genes to predict whether a different diet could relieve irritable bowel syndrome, which affects around 5% of the French population? This is what an international team of researchers suggested in a new study published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Irritable bowel syndrome: 196 patients followed a low FODMAP diet
This research was carried out based on an observation. “Limiting dietary intake of certain carbohydrates has therapeutic effects in some, but not all, patients with irritable bowel syndrome.” Thus, as part of this work, scientists studied the genetic variation of human enzymes active on carbohydrates in relation to the response to a diet low in FODMAPs, namely sugars present in certain foods which are slowly, or even not at all. at all, absorbed by the intestine.
For the purposes of the study, the authors recruited 250 adults suffering from irritable bowel. A total of 196 participants had to follow a low fermentable carbohydrate diet (FODMAP) and the rest of the volunteers took an antispasmodic drug, otilonium bromide. In parallel, genetic modifications of human carbohydrate enzymes (hCAZymes) were evaluated in patients.
DNA changes may affect how sufferers process food
According to the results, of the patients who followed the low FODMAPs diet, those who carried a defective hCAZyme gene showed a significant improvement in their condition compared to non-carriers. The effect was particularly pronounced in people with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D), who were six times more likely to respond to the diet. In contrast, this difference was not observed in participants receiving medication.
“hCAZyme enzymes play a key role in carbohydrate digestion. Our results suggest that genetic variants of these enzymes could become critical markers for the development of personalized nutrition-based treatments for irritable bowel syndrome. In the future , knowledge of the hCAZyme genotype could therefore be integrated into clinical practice and allow doctors to recognize in advance the patients most likely to benefit from specific nutritional measures”, declared Britt Sabina Loscherauthor of the research.
