Can a low FODMAP diet soothe IBS even without lactose issues?
NCT ID NCT05120752
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 3 trial tests whether a low FODMAP diet can improve symptoms and quality of life in people with moderate to severe irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) who do not have lactose malabsorption. Sixty participants will follow the diet with guidance from a dietitian. The goal is to see if this restrictive diet still helps when lactose digestion is normal.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- low FODMAP diet
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that a low FODMAP diet helps ease IBS symptoms even in people without lactose issues, offering a clear dietary option.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 60 people. It may not prove effective for everyone, and the restrictive diet can be hard to follow.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2021
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * \- Patients aged 18 - 75 years; * Fulfilling the ROME IV criteria for IBS; * Moderate symptom severity as defined by a IBS-SSS \> 175; * Consumption of lactose containing products. Exclusion Criteria: * \- Clinical suspicion of an organic disorder different from LI or IBS (patients can be included when this disorder had been excluded); * Known lactose intolerance; * Known inflammatory bowel disorder; * Known major intestinal motility disorder; * Alcohol (defined as more than 14 U per week) or other substance abuse; * Active psychiatric disorder; * Known systemic or auto-immune disorder with implication for the GI system; * Prior abdominal surgery (with the exception of appendectomy); * Any prior diagnosis of cancer other than basocellular carcinoma; * Current chemotherapy; * History of gastro-enteritis in the past 8 weeks; * Intake of antibiotics, pre- or probiotics during the past 8 weeks; * Dietary supplements unless taken at a stable dose for more than 8 weeks; * Treatment with neuromodulators (one neuromodulator taken at a stable dose for more than 12 weeks is allowed); * Treatment with spasmolytic agents, opioids, loperamide, gelatin tannate or mucoprotectants during the past 8 weeks; * LFD or low FODMAP diet in the past.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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UZ Brussel
RECRUITINGJette, Brussels Capital, 1090, Belgium
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