A new article published in Digestive and Liver Disease reported that functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and chronic constipation (CC), are commonly encountered conditions in clinical practice and render ample global burden. The authors disclosed that since the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and bile acids (BAs) are responsible for maintaining homeostasis in the gastrointestinal tract, disturbances in the expression of FXR or the composition of BAs may contribute to the development of the gastrointestinal symptoms, such as chronic constipation. It was stated that alterations in the mechanism of action of FXR directly affect the BAs pool and account for increased intestinal permeability and changes in abundance and diversity of gut microbiota leading to intestinal dysmotility. Hence, FXR, BAs and the composition of gut microbiota influence the occurrence of GI symptoms in FGIDs.