FOOD AND NUTRIENT INTAKES AND EATING PATTERNS IN FUNCTIONAL AND ORGANIC DYSPEPSIA

Forty organic dyspepsia patients and 40 functional dyspepsia patients, endoscopically diagnosed, were recruited from a gastoenterology outpa tient unit and were age- and sex-matched with an equal number of patie nt controls. A diet history of typical eating patterns for a 7-day per iod was taken and food portions quantified using a photographic atlas. An interviewer-assisted questionnaire was used to identify present ea ting habits, dietary patterns reported to exacerbate or relieve sympto ms and alterations in eating habits as a result of symptoms. Females w ith organic or functional dyspepsia reported significantly lower energ y intakes (P < 0.01) than controls. Females with organic dyspepsia had significantly lower intakes of fat, carbohydrate, fibre and a wide ra nge of micronutrients compared to controls. Females with functional dy spepsia had significantly lower intakes of fat, sugars and vitamin C ( P < 0.05) than controls. Organic dyspepsia patients (male and female) had significantly lower intakes of alcohol and vitamin C than controls (P < 0.05). Patients with organic dyspepsia had higher intakes of mil k and lower intakes of fresh fruit and/or fruit juice than controls. T he main difference in eating pattern noted was that a significantly lo wer percentage (P < 0.05) of functional dyspepsia patients than contro ls regularly ate three meals per day. Large numbers of dyspepsia patie nts in both groups associated certain eating habits and the consumptio n of specific foods with exacerbation of dyspeptic symptoms and over 8 0% of both groups reported food avoidance as a result of this. A signi ficantly higher percentage (P < 0.01) of patients with organic dyspeps ia than functional dyspepsia reported that medication and consumption of milk helped to relieve dyspeptic symptoms.