3.13 - Designing New Foods or Food Ingredients Targeting the Gut Microbiota to Reduce FODMAP-Induced Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

The 100 trillion microbes that make up our gut microbiota interact with the host on an ongoing basis. This complex ecosystem is shaped by a variety of materials such as host derived glycans, non-digestible dietary components and host secreted bile acids. The broad metabolic capacity within the microbiome produces a variety of bioactive compounds from these resources. Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are the best-known bioactive compounds, however, other compounds such as molecular hydrogen play an underreported role in the gut. Redox balances throughout the microbiome are often maintained by producing molecular hydrogen, creating a hydrogen cycle between gut microbes. This bioactive compound negatively affects Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) patients, distending the gut lumen and causing pain and bloating. IBS therapies targeting gut microbes, such as antibiotics and dietary control, are effective by reducing fermentation within the gut, in turn reducing the volume of hydrogen present. We discuss the various IBS therapies and their mechanisms of action, how hydrogen is cycled during the carbohydrate fermentation process and how specific probiotics may have potential for reducing hydrogen derived IBS symptoms.