Zinc nutritional status, mood states and quality of life in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome: a case–control study

Abstract

Zinc is an important trace element for structure, and regulation in the central nervous system, as well as the gut homeostasis. There are several mental disorders associated with zinc deficiency. The relationship between zinc nutritional status with mood states and quality of life (QoL) in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) has not been studied yet. This case–control study aimed to investigate the association between zinc nutritional status with mood states and QoL in IBS-D patients. Sixty-one newly diagnosed patients with IBS-D and 61 matched healthy controls were enrolled. Dietary zinc intakes and serum zinc levels were measured. Mood states and QoL were evaluated by validated questionnaires. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of IBS-D in relation to zinc deficiency. Decreased serum zinc levels were observed in the IBS-D group than in the controls (p = 0.001). There were higher scores of depression (p = 0.014), anxiety (p = 0.005), and stress (p = 0.001) among IBS-D patients. Moreover, overall QoL, physical and psychological health were lower in IBS-D patients compared to the controls (p < 0.001). “Food avoidance” had the lowest, while the “relationship” had the highest score among the patients (51.09 ± 26.80 and 78.14 ± 23.30, respectively). Dietary zinc intake was positively correlated with psychological health in the controls (r = 0.295, p = 0.022) and with body image in the patients (r = 0.266, p = 0.044). According to the logistic regression, zinc deficiency was not significantly associated with odds of IBS-D. Findings show that zinc deficiency may be associated with some parameters of IBS-D. Further clinical studies are needed to explore the causal relationship between zinc status and IBS pathogenesis.

Quality of life, perceived stress and nutrition of patients with irritable bowel syndrome: A descriptive study

“…In the study of Van Lanen et al, it was determined that a low-FODMAP diet reduced IBS symptoms and improved quality of life 15 . A relationship was found between dietary zinc intake and body image and psychological health in patients in another study 16 . In the study of Melchior et al, a significant relationship was found between low quality of life and severe food avoidance and restriction 17 .…”

A systematic review and meta‐analysis of diet and nutrient intake in adults with irritable bowel syndrome

“…Energy intake was analyzed from 24 studies 11,15,16,18,44,46,[48][49][50]54,62,63,69,72,86,87,[89][90][91][92]94,98,103,104 There were no differences across study quality subgroups.…”

“…Fiber intake was analyzed from 24 studies 11,15,16,43,44,[48][49][50]54,56,63,66,68,69,86,87,[89][90][91]94,98,[102][103][104][105] (N = 3388 participants with IBS, N = 7179 controls) to demonstrate lower intake in participants with IBS compared to controls with high heterogeneity (MD: −1.8 g; 95% CI: −3.0, −0.6; I 2 = 85%, Figure 3).…”

“…Fat intake was analyzed from 19 studies 11,15,16,44,[48][49][50]54,56,62,63,69,87,89,90,[93][94][95][96][97][98][99][101][102][103][104] (N = 2369 participants with IBS, N = 5021 controls). There was no significant difference between participants with IBS and controls with moderate heterogeneity (MD: −2 g; 95% CI: −5.3, 1.2; I 2 = 59%).…”

“…Protein intake were analyzed from 17 studies 11,15,16,44,[48][49][50]54,69,87,[89][90][91]94,98,[102][103][104] (N = 1495 participants with IBS, N = 1181 controls) to reveal no significant difference between participants with IBS and controls with high heterogeneity (MD: −2.1 g; 95% CI: −5.9, 1.6; I 2 = 77%). Meta-regression found no association between female proportion and differences in protein intake (p = 0.87).…”