The FODMAP diet for Gut Microbiome Restoration in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Narrative Review

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a multifactorial, debilitating, complex, and chronic disorder of gut-braininteraction. The Gut microbiota and its metabolites play an important role in the etiology, pathogenesis, andpathophysiology of IBS. Dietary modulation of the gut microbiome to correct gut microbiota dysbiosis andrestore host-microbe eubiosis is considered an effective strategy for managing IBS. Increasing evidence suggeststhat a diet low in fermentable oligo-, di-, and monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs) can beneficiallymodulate the gut microbiota.The objective of this narrative review is to elucidate how a FODMAP diet impacts the gut microbiome.Understanding how this diet influences gut microbial communities is crucial for understanding the potentiallong-term health consequences of this dietary regimen. This nuanced understanding can inform the developmentof optimal, personalized FODMAP dietary strategies tailored to the individual gut microbiome compositionand function of IBS patients.A search was conducted in the electronic databases PubMed/Medline, SCOPUS, and Web of Science forobservational studies, clinical trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses published between 2012 and 2025.Search terms and keywords included IBS, FODMAP diet, gut microbiome, and gut microbiota.Contrary to the prevailing belief that a diet low in FODMAPs has detrimental effects on gut health, scientificstudies show that such a diet can have beneficial effects on both gut and host health.The scientific evidence presented in this narrative review supports the FODMAP diet as a personalizedprecision nutrition therapy that can effectively restore, reinoculate, and rebalance the gut microbiome.