• Chian Sem Chua, Shih-Yi Huang, Chiao-Wen Cheng, Chyi-Huey Bai, Chien-Yeh Hsu, Hung-Wen Chiu, and Jung-Lung Hsu.
• Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Taipei Medical University Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan Western Medicine Division, Hospital Lam Wah Ee, Penang, Malaysia School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Taipei Medical University Department of Transportation and Logistics Management, National Chiao Tung University Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University Department of Information Management, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences Master Program in Global Health and Development, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou Medical Center and College of Medicine, Chang-Gung University, Taoyuan Graduate Institute of Humanities in Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2017 Dec 1; 96 (49): e9094e9094.

AbstractAbdominal pain is one of the key symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Studies have indicated an increase in the incidence of IBS in Asia. However, yet the pathophysiology of this disease remains unknown. Women are more likely to develop the condition than men, especially the constipation-predominant type. Essential fatty acid (EFA) malnutrition is one of several theories discussing the mechanism of IBS.The authors hypothesized that significant EFA deficiency may cause abdominal pain in patients with IBS. However, because patterns in the oral intake of EFAs differ between cultures, the authors narrowed this study to examine the nutritional status of Asian female patients with IBSThe authors investigated Asian female patients with IBS and compared them with a group of healthy controls. Thirty patients with IBS and 39 healthy individuals were included in this study. The participants' age, height, weight, and waist size were recorded. The 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale was documented. Both erythrocyte and plasma fatty acid content were analyzed through gas-liquid chromatography.The authors found that patients with IBS exhibited significantly higher scores for depression, higher proportions of plasma saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids, and lower proportions of docosahexaenoic acid and total omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in plasma are associated with IBS in Asian female patients. Further study is indicated to confirm the causality of this association.

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