Group to Study Effect of Tailored Nutrition on IBS

21 Apr 2017 --- A research partnership is set to study how diet can improve the quality of life of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The group will use the study’s findings to provide a scientific basis for the development of foods and supplements aimed at relieving the symptoms of this chronic condition.

The public-private partnership (PPP) was launched in early April and aims to identify what (combinations of) foods are most effective in relieving symptoms of IBS, which include abdominal cramping, bloating and abnormal bowel movements. It will also investigate how foods interact with the intestine, the immune system and the intestinal microbiota.

"The insights from our project will enable manufacturers to develop mechanistic-based products, targeted at particular groups of IBS patients," says immunologist Coen Govers, researcher at Wageningen Food & Biobased Research. "Health professionals will be able to use this new data to create tailor-made treatments for their patients." 

The partners aim to have a prototype of a supplement or food ready within four years.

According to Wageningen University & Research, the researchers are using advanced in-vitro models, including SHIME (Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem) and the most promising dietary components will be tested in a clinical study with IBS patients. The research will include pre- and probiotics as well as a range of bioactive components from milk.

"Patients often report that significantly changing their diet helps relieve their symptoms," says Ben Witteman, doctor of gastroenterology at Gelderse Vallei Hospital and Associate Professor at Wageningen University & Research. "For example, one might benefit from a high-fiber diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, while the other will feel better only if he/she switches to a gluten-free diet.”

Co-financed by the Top Sector Agriculture & Food, the partnership is currently formed by Wageningen University & Research, Winclove Probiotics, Bioibérica, Ingredia, Jiangsu wecare-bio technology, Roquette Group and Ingredion Incorporated.

Wageningen University and Research reports that more than one in seven people suffers from irritable bowel syndrome. 

"Physicians often prescribe medications and give dietary and lifestyle advice, but are really just trying something out to see if it works for that patient”, says Nicole de Wit, bowel physiologist and researcher at Wageningen Food & Biobased Research. "There are large differences between patients, in terms of age, lifestyle and especially in the symptoms they report. Moreover, the exact cause of IBS symptoms is still unclear." 

In the March 2017 edition of The World of Food Ingredients, food scientists Jerome Diaz and Frank Schuren discuss leaky gut syndrome, which characterizes the early stage of a wide array of gastrointestinal disorders, and underscore the need to develop diet-based preventative measures to diminish the early onset and occurrence of gastrointestinal disorders.

“While the causes of leaky gut remain to be elucidated, it is clear that besides genetic predisposition, both food intake and lifestyle play a factor in triggering their onset and/or development,” Diaz and Schuren say.