Diet in subjects with irritable bowel syndrome: A cross-sectional study in the general population

BMC Gastroenterology

Table 2 Subject characteristics and dietary intake: comparison between subgroups of IBS

Subject characteristics and food groups	C-IBS n =103	A-IBS n =174	D-IBS n =111	p
Age, years	48.3 (14.2)	46.0 (13.2)	47.0 (12.7)	0.51
Female, n, %	86 (83%)	123 (71%)	53 (48%)	<0.001^A
Severity of symptoms (1-12)	2.7 (2.3)	3.0 (2.3)	3.8 (2.5)	<0.001^B
Fruits and berries, 100 g/day	1.0 (0.7)	0.8 (0.7)	0.8 (0.8)	0.068
Vegetables, 100 g/day	1.7 (2.2)	1.5 (1.1)	1.4 (1.2)	0.10
Potatoes, 100 g/day	0.4 (0.9)	1.2 (0.8)	1.2 (0.8)	0.13
Dairy products, portions¹/day	2.2 (1.5)	2.2 (1.6)	2.0 (1.4)	0.71
Omega 3 fatty acids², g/day	0.7 (0.6)	0.7 (0.7)	0.7 (0.7)	0.87
Water, 100 ml/day	3.9 (1.9)	3.9 (2.0)	3.7 (1.9)	0.65
Juice, 100 ml/day	0.9 (1.2)	0.9 (1.1)	1.0 (1.2)	0.90
Carbonated beverages, 100 ml/day	1.4 (1.6)	1.9 (2.4)	2.0 (2.1)	0.13
Tea,100 ml/day	1.7 (2.2)	1.9 (2.6)	1.4 (2.6)	0.094
Coffee,100 ml/day	4.3 (3.5)	4.0 (4.2)	4.4 (3.3)	0.39
Alcohol, units³/day	0.1 (0.2)	0.2 (0.6)	0.3 (0.6)	0.006^C

¹ Dairy product portions are defined as either 150 ml milk/yoghurt or 20 g (one slice) of cheese.
² Omega 3 fatty acids are calculated from fatty fish and fish oil supplements.
³ Units of alcohol are defined as 12.8 g (15 ml) of pure alcohol.
^A A-IBS vs. D-IBS: p < 0.001; C-IBS vs. D-IBS: p < 0.001; C-IBS vs. A-IBS: p = 0.020 ^B A-IBS vs. D-IBS: p = 0.001; C-IBS vs. D-IBS: p < 0.001.
^C C-IBS vs. A-IBS: p = 0.008; C-IBS vs. D-IBS: p = 0.003.
From original data with Kruskal Wallis Test/Mann-Whitney U test for continuous and Fisher exact test for dichotomous variables. Only age, gender, severity of symptoms and food groups are shown. Values are mean (SD) unless otherwise stated.

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