Postprandial distress syndrome (PDS) is linked with indigestion of food. Dietary changes have been reported to have beneficial effects in PDS. A dietary regimen called Persian metabolic diet (PMD) has been suggested for the management of PDS.

A single-center, parallel-group, randomized study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of PMD in relieving the symptoms of PDS. A total of 56 patients were included in the study – 29 patients were randomized to PMD group while 27 were allocated to an Optional diet (OD) group. The patients followed the protocol for two weeks. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, end of the intervention period, and end of follow-up with the help of a standard validated questionnaire.

At the end of the intervention period, the changes of severity scores were statistically significantly different between the groups at week 2 (p-value<0.001) and week 8 (p-value<0.001) follow-up, in comparison with the baseline.

At the end of the follow-up period, there was significant improvement in epigastric fullness, epigastric discomfort, and bloating among patients in the PMD group (p<0.001).

It was concluded that the Persian medicine based diet is effective for relieving the symptoms of PDS patients.

Source: Nouri F, Naseri M, Abdi S, et al. Effect of a Persian metabolic diet on the functional dyspepsia symptoms in patients with postprandial distress syndrome: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial. J Complement Integr Med. 2021 Nov 9.