Dietary Acid Load and Its Association with Psychological Disorders and the Odds of Disease in Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Case-Control Study

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between dietary acid load (DAL) with psychological disorders and the odds of disease in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D).

This case-control study was performed on 61 patients with IBS-D and 61 healthy matched individuals aged 20 to 55 years in Isfahan. To collect data, 3‐day dietary record and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 Items (DASS-21) were used. Also, anthropometric indices were measured.  

No significant difference was found between potential renal acid load (PRAL) and net endogenous acid production (NEAP) scores between the two groups. There was a significant direct relationship between NEAP scores with stress and depression in the IBS-D group and also with anxiety in the two groups (P<0.05). No association was found between PRAL and NEAP with odds of IBS-D in both crude and adjusted models.

Dietary acid load may be associated with psychological disorders in patients with IBS-D. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.