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Thursday 4 June 2026

Peer Reviewed

Gastroenterology clinic

What dietary advice can I give patients with irritable bowel syndrome?

Andrew Cf Taylor

Recent articles on:
Irritable bowel syndrome

Constipation in older people – an update

Irritable bowel syndrome: an update on diagnosis and management

Irritable bowel syndrome: what to do when dietary manipulation fails

Dietary approaches to irritable bowel syndrome

STW5 (Iberogast) herbal therapy and functional gastrointestinal symptoms

Recent articles on:
Nutrition

Diets: evidence-based versus the fads

Diagnosing and managing diabetic gastroparesis

Optimising micronutrients during pregnancy

Managing patients on a vegetarian or vegan diet

The gut microbiome in health and illness

Abstract

What dietary factors can influence symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome? Here, Dr Andrew Taylor outlines his advice for dietary assessment and modification.

Key Points

Remember

Irritable bowel syndrome is a heterogeneous condition. Patients have varying combinations of abdominal pain and bloating, diarrhoea and constipation.
Identical symptoms can occur with organic diseases such as colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease and lactose intolerance.
A high fibre diet is beneficial for many patients with irritable bowel syndrome. However, it is not consistently effective for pain, bloating or diarrhoea, and may even worsen these symptoms.