Certain Diets May Improve Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Gluten-free diets (GFDs) and hypocaloric diets (HCDs) may improve gluten sensitivity symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia, a recent study showed.

It is common for this patient population to present with gastrointestinal symptoms that are often seen in patients with gluten-related disorders. Therefore, the researchers compared the effects of 2 diets to better understand the underlying sensitivities of these symptoms.
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For the study, the researchers randomly assigned 75 adult patients with fibromyalgia to either a GFD or an HCD for 24 weeks, with the primary outcome being the change in the number of gluten sensitivity symptoms.

The researchers also assessed body mass index, fibromyalgia symptoms, sleep quality, pain, mental health, and more as secondary outcomes.

Results showed that patients tolerated both GFD and HCD well. Each diet improved patients’ number of gluten sensitivity symptoms and reduced the severity of fibromyalgia symptoms.

The researchers noted that the reduction in gluten sensitivity symptoms from baseline was not significantly different between the GFD and HCD groups, meaning that each diet likely has the same effect in alleviating gastrointestinal discomfort in fibromyalgia patients.

Additionally, GFD and HCD did not differ in any of the remaining measured secondary outcomes.

“Both dietary interventions were associated with similar beneficial outcomes in reducing gluten sensitivity symptoms and other secondary outcomes,” the researchers concluded. “However, despite its specificity, GFD was not superior to HCD in reducing the number of gluten sensitivity symptoms or secondary outcomes.”

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Slim M, Calandre EP, Garcia-Leiva JM, et al. The effects of a gluten-free diet versus a hypocaloric diet among patients with fibromyalgia experiencing gluten sensitivitylike symptoms: a pilot, open-label randomized clinical trial. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2017;51(6):500-507. doi:10.1097/MCG.0000000000000651.