Fibre and Gas in IBS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Effects of Fibre on Intestinal Volume and Gas in Irritable Bowel Syndrome
IRAS ID
219268
Contact name
Robin Spiller
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Dietary fibre is the food term used for carbohydrates that are not easily digested. Different types of fibre affect the bowel in different ways. Some fibres are fermentable: they are broken down by bacteria in the large bowel. This produces chemicals that can be good for health but it can also produce gas. Our previous research has shown that rapid gas production from fibre breakdown can lead to symptoms of bloating and discomfort in people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). IBS can affect 1 in 10 adults.
Other fibres are not fermentable. We believe that mixing together fermentable and non-fermentable fibre may slow gas production, reducing symptoms. Understanding how fibres affect each other could improve dietary advice for people with IBS.
We will test the effects of inulin, a fibre that we know makes gas, psyllium a fibre that should not be fermented, and a mixture of the two. We will compare these drinks to a ‘control’ drink: dextrose a sugar that does not make gas. These are all food products.
We will recruit adults with IBS who can travel to Nottingham for 4 separate study days, each lasting around 8 hours with lunch provided. There will be at least one week between study days. Participants will drink 500mL (just under a pint) of water containing a different fibre. We will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to look inside their bowel at the effect of the drink. We will ask about any symptoms they have, and measure their breath for traces of gas produced by fermentation. We will recruit until 20 people complete the study. It will take around one year to collect all the information needed.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EM/0277
Date of REC Opinion
12 Oct 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion