Irritable bowel syndrome patients should follow individualized diets, according to new research out of New Haven, Conn.-based Yale University.
Here's what you should know:
1. Yale researchers claim this is the first study to support the medication-free approach to managing IBS.
2. Researchers debunked claims surrounding blood tests that "identify foods that trigger symptoms," saying the tests have not been validated by rigorous studies.
3. Researchers conducted a double-blind, randomized clinical trial of 58 IBS patients. Researchers collected blood samples and measured immune cell activation. They then put patients on individualized diets that restricted foods consistent with test results or restricted foods inconsistent with test results.
4. Researchers analyzed the patients IBS symptoms and quality of life. They found individuals with diets consistent with test results had lessened symptom severity.
Study first author Ather Ali said in a release, "We didn't expect results like this. The people who consumed the diet consistent with the test did significantly better than people on the sham diet."