Studies related to Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Low-FODMAP Diet

Ehealth: Low FODMAP Diet Vs Lactobacillus Rhamnosus GG In Irritable Bowel Syndrome

In this randomized, parallel-design controlled trial, 123 patients with IBS were assigned to a low-FODMAP diet (LFD), Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG probiotic (LGG) (6 billion CFU/capsule, two capsules/day), or an unchanged diet (ND) for six weeks. Participants completed symptom severity and quality of life questionnaires weekly using an IBS self-monitoring application. Anxiety and depression were also assessed at baseline and week six.

All participants reported significant reductions in IBS symptom scores from baseline to six weeks, but the reductions in the LFD and LGG groups were greater than the ND group. Only the LFD was associated with a significant improvement compared to ND. After dividing participants by IBS subtype, participants with IBS-D experienced significant symptom improvement over time in all groups, whereas those with mixed-subtype IBS only experienced significant improvement in the LFD or LGG groups. IBS-C type was not associated with improvements in any group. Regardless of subtype, participants who were using IBS medications and who had reported higher IBS symptom severity scores at baseline experienced significant improvements after the LFD or LGG.

Quality of life improved over time in all participants, with no significant difference between groups at the six-week timepoint. However, participants that reported high quality of life at baseline didn’t report improvements over time. Those with IBS-D or who were taking IBS medication reported a significant improvement compared to LGG or ND, but this wasn’t observed for other subtypes. After adjusting for covariates, improvements in QoL were not significantly different between LFD or ND. Anxiety and depression scores were not different between groups at any timepoint.