Fodmaps

Acronym for "fermentable oligo-, di- and monosaccharides and (and) polyols". FODMAPs are non-absorbable carbohydrates that occur naturally in food. FODMAPs can be a co-trigger for symptoms in people with non-celiac wheat sensitivity or irritable bowel syndrome (Mansueto P e al. 2015).

This still vaguely defined clinical picture is (per exclusion) a non-allergic or non-autoimmune disease of unknown etiology.

The consumption of products containing wheat leads to symptoms similar to those of coeliac disease. Gastrointestinal symptoms include flatulence, abdominal discomfort, pain or diarrhoea.

Furthermore, extraintestinal symptoms such as headaches and migraines, lethargy and fatigue, attention deficit disorders and hyperactivity, muscle complaints as well as bone and joint pain may occur (Ford RP 2009; Lundin KE et al. 2012).

Patients should follow a gluten-free diet similar to that of celiac disease sufferers.

1. Ford RP (2009) The gluten syndrome: a neurological disease. Medical hypotheses 73: 438-440
2. Lundin KE et al (2012). Non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Gastrointestinal endoscopy clinics of North America 22: 723-734.
3. Mansueto P e al. (2015) Role of FODMAPs in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Nutr Clin Pract 30:665-682.