Investigating Nutritional Interventions for Managing Irritable-Bowel Syndrome: A Bibliometric Analysis

Background The bibliometric analysis provides a structured approach for providers and researchers to access clinically relevant information to improve patient care. Methods We used SCOPUS as our database and made a list of the top 50 most-cited articles from 2002 to 2022. Variables analyzed included citation count, annual citations, publication year, journal with impact factor, author details, country, institution, and funding. Results Citations for 50 articles varied from 67 to 919, with a median of 129 and an IQR of 210. Most of the articles (n = 34) were published between 2013 and 2018. The number of authors per article ranged from 3 to 18. Munir J.G. coauthored the most significant number of articles (n = 7). The top countries of origin for the articles were the UK (n = 15), the USA (n = 10), and Australia (n = 7). The dietary interventions discussed in our list included low FODMAP (n = 27), probiotics (n = 6), GFD (n = 4), an Ig4 exclusion diet (n = 3), and other interventions (n = 10). Female authors were the first authors in 30 articles and senior authors in 19 articles, compared to their male counterparts. Conclusions An analysis of the top 50 cited articles on nutritional interventions in IBS highlights interest and impact trends, aiding policymakers in funding decisions. The predominance of a low-FODMAP diet underscores the focus on efficacy, potentially guiding standardized dietary guidelines.