Hello, I am Monica Reinagle, and you are listening to The Nutrition Diva Podcast, a show where we dig

into the latest nutrition research headlines, trends, and fads so that you can make more

informed decisions about what you eat. If you have irritable bowel syndrome, IBS, or you know

somebody who does, then you're probably already familiar with the low FODMAP diet. For the past

decade or so, it's been considered to be pretty much the gold standard dietary approach for

managing those distressing IBS symptoms like abdominal pain, bloating,

diarrhea, and, or constipation, because some people alternate between the two.

And while it can be very effective in managing these symptoms, the low FODMAP approach can also

be challenging to implement and maintain.

But some new research that was just published in the journal Nutrients

suggests there might be a simpler path to relief,

one that could be just as effective while being considerably easier to implement and maintain.

But before we talk about this promising new alternative approach,

let's quickly review what the low FODMAP diet is and why it works.

So FODMAP is an acronym that stands for fermentable, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. It's a mouthful,

right? And these are specific types of carbohydrates that may be poorly absorbed in the small

intestine. And when those unabsorbed carbs reach the large intestine, the beneficial bacteria that live in your

gut go to work, fermenting these carbohydrates, and producing a lot of gas in the process.

They also tend to draw water into the intestine through osmosis. And for IBS sufferers who often

have heightened sensitivity to intestinal

pressure and distension, this combination of gas and fluid is what can trigger those painful

symptoms. So the low FODMAP diet works by limiting foods that are high in these six different

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