Chios mastic is a natural product with strong antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and well-established benefits for dyspeptic disorders. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effectiveness of a natural aqueous extract of Chios mastic (mastic water), a by-product of Chios mastic processing, in the management of irritable bowel syndrome. This will be a 3-month randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial in adult patients with irritable bowel syndrome under standard medication. Participants will be blindly randomized to a low-dose mastic group, which will receive a carbonated water enriched with Chios mastic water (0.06%), a high-dose mastic group, which will receive a carbonated fruit juice enriched with Chios mastic water (0.55%), or one of the two control groups, which will receive an identical placebo water/fruit juice with no active ingredients. Participants will be evaluated in terms of anthropometric indices, lifestyle habits, severity of IBS-related gastrointestinal symptoms, quality of life, as well as biochemical, inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, both pre- and post-intervention.
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Change in IBS symptoms severity assessed through the IBS Symptom Severity Scale (IBS-SSS)
Timeframe: 0 (baseline) and 12 weeks
Change in quality of life assessed through the IBS Quality of Life questionnaire (IBS-QOL)
Timeframe: 0 (baseline) and 12 weeks