Salvo Health presents low FODMAP study at the Institute for Functional Medicine's AIC 2023

Last week, our very own, Dr. Erin Hendriks presented Salvo Health’s IRB-reviewed poster titled ‘A Modified Low-FODMAP Diet for the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)’ at the AIC Conference in Orlando, FL. 

What is AIC?

AIC 2023: Advancements in Clinical Research and Innovative Practices in Functional Medicine explores  the latest advances in functional medicine research and offers actionable, clinically relevant insights for creating healthier outcomes with patients. Clinical researchers from around the nation present findings to illuminate new windows of opportunity for addressing the underlying factors at the root cause of disease to help patients achieve a higher expression of health.

Abstract

While research has found that low-FODMAP diets are beneficial for people with chronic gut issues, they can also be restrictive and difficult to adhere to. At Salvo Health, we’ve opted to center recommendations around implementing a modified LOW-FODMAP diet that focuses on 5 main food groups. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 69 IBS patients who did the modified elimination diet. Patients were given the option of eliminating some or all of the five following foods; dairy, beans and legumes, wheat flour, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners with dietary guidance and ongoing support delivered via patient education modules using a phone based app and via asynchronous chat from a health coach and physician. 

The Results

Overall, results showed that the vast majority (91%) of patients were able to avoid their chosen foods some or all of the time and the majority of patients reported at least some improvement in symptoms during the elimination period. 

Some of our additional findings included: 

• Compared to the start of the program, 13 (19%) of patients reported feeling a lot better, 29 (42%) a little better, 26(38%) about the same, and only 1(2%) reported feeling a little worse.
• Of the five foods that were recommended to avoid, high fructose corn syrup was the most commonly avoided food category 64 (93%) and wheat flour was the least 52 (75%). 
• 65 (94%) found the guidance very helpful, helpful, or somewhat helpful. Of these, 74% found the guidance helpful or very helpful.