Journal article
Dietary FODMAP Manipulation for Exercise-Associated Gastrointestinal Symptoms: Why Symptom Severity Should Guide Our Approach
Sports Medicine, Vol.Advanced access
24-Jul-2026
PMID: 42496856
Abstract
Exercise-induced gastrointestinal syndrome (EIGS) is a well-defined term that describes disruptions to gastrointestinal integrity and function that occur during exercise. A commonly reported outcome of EIGS is exercise-associated gastrointestinal symptoms (Ex-GIS), including flatulence, lower abdominal bloating and pain, and urge to defecate, which can compromise comfort, training quality and race-day execution. Low-fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharide and polyol (FODMAP) diets are effective at reducing gastrointestinal symptoms in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome and, owing to similarities in symptom presentation, have increasingly been used by athletes to better manage Ex-GIS. This Current Opinion article argues that FODMAP manipulation should be used strategically rather than as a routine dietary default. For athletes with severe Ex-GIS, a short-term low-FODMAP approach may help attenuate symptoms around key training sessions and/or competition. In contrast, athletes with mild or infrequent symptoms may benefit from a more liberal FODMAP intake that mitigates disruptions to gastrointestinal integrity and potentially EIGS outcomes while avoiding unnecessary dietary restriction. However, neither approach has consistently been shown to improve performance. Accordingly, any modification of FODMAP intake should be individualized and guided by likely underlying primary mechanisms, symptom severity, exercise demands, and the need to maintain overall dietary adequacy.
Details
- Title
- Dietary FODMAP Manipulation for Exercise-Associated Gastrointestinal Symptoms: Why Symptom Severity Should Guide Our Approach
- Authors
- Rachel Scrivin (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine CoastNatália Vilela Silva Daniel - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)Gary Slater - University of the Sunshine CoastRicardo J S Costa - Monash University
- Publication details
- Sports Medicine, Vol.Advanced access
- Publisher
- Adis International Ltd.
- DOI
- 10.1007/s40279-026-02474-9
- ISSN
- 1179-2035
- PMID
- 42496856
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Data Availability
- Data are available from the corresponding author if requested.
- Grant note
- ND has received a Brazilian International Scholarship for her research studies (FAPESP 2023/17923-6).
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health - Nutrition & Dietetics
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991247199102621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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