The association of dietary glycemic index and glycemic load with risk of irritable bowel syndrome

Abstract

Abstract Purpose To date, no existing research has explored the potential relationship between dietary Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) and the risk of developing Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Our objective was to examine this association within a substantial sample of Iranian adults. Method This study was conducted on 3363 general public adults in Isfahan, Iran. A validated dish-based 106-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to examine dietary GI and GL. The presence of IBS was explored using a modified Persian version of the ROME III questionnaire. Totally, 22.2% (n = 748) of study participants had IBS. Result Participants with the highest dietary GI, had higher odds for IBS than those in the lowest category (OR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.03–1.75). However, the association became non-significant after controlling for potential confounders (OR: 1.14; 95% CI: 0.81–1.61). A positive significant association was found between dietary GI and odds of IBS-constipation predominant (IBS-C) (OR: 1.96; 95% CI: 1.09–3.52), but not with IBS-diarrhea predominant (IBS-D) (OR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.43–1.40). Conclusions No substantial link was observed between dietary glycemic load (GL) and the risk of overall irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or its subtypes. However, a positive correlation was discovered between dietary GI and IBS with constipation (IBS-C).