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Dietary Therapies in the Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2026 | Viewed by 1894

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden
2. Department of Internal Medicine, Skane University Hospital, 20502 Malmo, Sweden
Interests: IBS; nutrition; enteric dysmotility

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Guest Editor
Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala University Hospital, SE-751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
Interests: gastrointestinal peptide hormones; gastrointestinal motility; splanchnic blood flow; nutrients; metabolic control; irritable bowel syndrome; inflammatory bowel disease; intestinal pseudoobstruction; enteric dysmotility

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nutrition plays a critical role in the management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Recent interventional studies have shown that dietary modifications are more efficient in alleviating symptoms than pharmacological treatment. Through studying dietary habits in great population-based studies and in cohorts with IBS patients, it has been found that several of the participants have poor intake of important nutrients, with an increased risk of developing IBS and aggravating symptoms. Dietary interventions have shown that a healthier diet with nutrient-dense foods improves IBS symptoms. Considering how important a good nutrient supply is for health, it is extremely important to improve dietary habits, both to prevent disease development and to treat existing disease. The knowledge about the negative effects of processed and ultra-processed food, both for the development of IBS and other gastrointestinal diseases, is established.

The theme of this Special Issue encompasses a broad range of topics related to dietary treatment of IBS, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Nutritional status in IBS and its associations with symptoms;
  • Associations between IBS and other diseases such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes mellitus;
  • Innovations for monitoring and assessment of patient’s nutritional status in IBS;
  • Dietary interventions for IBS, considering not only symptom alleviation but also beneficial metabolic and nutritional changes;
  • Multidisciplinary approaches and team-based strategies for enhancing patient outcomes.

We encourage submissions of original research articles, reviews, and comments that address these themes or other relevant aspects of dietary treatment of IBS. Manuscripts should adhere to the journal's guidelines and will undergo rigorous peer review to ensure scientific rigor and relevance.

Prof. Dr. Bodil Ohlsson
Prof. Dr. Per Hellström
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • IBS and diet
  • IBS and malnutrition
  • IBS and overweight
  • IBS and metabolism
  • RCT in IBS
  • systemic reviews in IBS

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 691 KB  
Article
From Desperation to Sustainability: A Qualitative Exploration of Drivers and Barriers to Time-Restricted Eating in IBS Treatment
by Henrik Sverdrup, Asgeir Brevik, Maria Thompson Clausen, Marit Kolby and Marianne Molin
Nutrients 2026, 18(6), 940; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18060940 - 17 Mar 2026
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a prevalent gastrointestinal disorder with implications for individual quality of life and society. Patients with IBS suffer a variety of symptoms but have few treatment options. The level of satisfaction with IBS treatment is low, stressing [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a prevalent gastrointestinal disorder with implications for individual quality of life and society. Patients with IBS suffer a variety of symptoms but have few treatment options. The level of satisfaction with IBS treatment is low, stressing the need to expand the IBS treatment toolbox. The aim of this study is to describe drivers and barriers to the implementation of time-restricted eating (TRE) as a treatment alternative for patients with IBS. Methods: A convenience sample of 14 informants was drawn from a pool of 97 successful participants in an eight-week 16:8 TRE intervention. The informants partook in audio-recorded semi-structured in-depth interviews. Recordings were processed by a computer language model and interview transcripts were generated automatically. The transcripts were proofread, structured and analysed with a reflexive inductive thematic analysis approach. Results: The analysis generated six main themes consisting of 18 sub-themes in total. One main theme describes drivers of implementation concerning domains such as motivation, supporting factors, mentality, behaviour and determinants of sustainability. The results from this study are largely coherent with the findings from earlier feasibility studies conducted on other populations, but several key differences related to population characteristics emerged. Conclusions: Overall, the analysis suggests that TRE can be a feasible treatment option for IBS, but successful implementation is dependent on individual ability, external support and symptom relief. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Therapies in the Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
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15 pages, 1154 KB  
Article
Time-Restricted Eating and Symptom Severity in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Results from a Pilot Study
by Maria Thompson Clausen, Henrik Sverdrup, Asgeir Brevik, Marianne Molin and Marit Kolby
Nutrients 2026, 18(5), 765; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18050765 - 26 Feb 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1161
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder affecting approximately 5–10% of the population, with many individuals reporting insufficient improvement from treatment options. This study aimed to explore whether time-restricted eating (TRE) could alleviate symptoms in patients with IBS. Methods: This [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder affecting approximately 5–10% of the population, with many individuals reporting insufficient improvement from treatment options. This study aimed to explore whether time-restricted eating (TRE) could alleviate symptoms in patients with IBS. Methods: This single-group, pre–post pilot study included participants with IBS who followed an 8-week time-restricted eating protocol, defined as a daily 16 h fasting period and an 8 h eating window (16:8). Symptom changes were assessed using the validated IBS Symptom Severity Scale (IBS-SSS) at baseline and post-intervention. The study was retrospectively registered after completion of data collection. Results: A total of 134 patients were enrolled, of whom 97 completed the intervention. Participants demonstrated a mean reduction in the IBS-SSS score of −100.2 (p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis also demonstrated mean reductions in the IBS-SSS scores for participants with IBS-constipation (IBS-C) (−125.2, p < 0.001), IBS-diarrhea (IBS-D) (−76.0, p < 0.005), and IBS-mixed (IBS-M) (−93.1, p < 0.001). Additionally, the participants experienced improvements in both self-reported physical and mental health. Conclusions: These preliminary findings suggest that TRE may represent a promising behavioral strategy for IBS symptom management, warranting controlled trials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Therapies in the Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
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