Aims: To examine the relationship between fructose and lactose consumption and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms in 50-year-old adults residing in Canterbury, New Zealand.
Methods: The Canterbury Health Ageing and Life Course (CHALICE) study is a study of 50-year-old Cantabrians. A 4-day estimated food and beverage diary (FBD) was completed by 227 participants, 75.7% of those recruited. The Birmingham IBS symptom questionnaire was administered and individual participant scores were calculated for constipation, diarrhoea, pain score, and total symptom score. Associations between symptoms and the intake of fructose and lactose were examined using binary logistic regression.
Results: Greater mean daily intakes of fructose (P=0.05) and lactose (P=0.04) were associated with a lower prevalence of IBS pain symptoms after adjusting for demographics and social economic status. However there was no evidence of an association with constipation, diarrhoea or total IBS score.
Conclusions: Although our data show inverse relationships between fructose and lactose intakes and IBS pain symptoms, the use of cross-sectional data do not allow us to determine causality in these relationships. However it is possible that participants may have reduced their intake of fructose and lactose in response to IBS related pain. Follow up of this cohort would allow us to determine if this is the case. Future research could also investigate whether people with IBS could benefit from guidance from a dietitian around consumption of high lactose or fructose-containing foods.