Abstract

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex illness identified by widespread pain. FM can adversely affect their quality of life (QOL). Hence, treating FM is important; dietary intervention is adopted for the management of several diseases, as healthy diets might improve physical fitness, cognitive abilities, and mental health. Gluten ingestion elevates the production of inflammation and pain; therefore, a gluten-free diet (GFD) might reduce the pain. This review aimed to identify the effect of GFD on symptoms and QOL of FM patients by reviewing the previous studies concerned with this subject. The scientific databases were searched using different keywords to obtain all possible related studies. The original articles written in English and providing full data were eligible. A total of eight articles published between 2013 and 2023 were enrolled; five studies focused on female subjects only, and the designs of the studies were various. It was found that GFD might be beneficial for FM patients who complain of other inflammatory conditions and those triggered by gluten by improving their symptoms and QOL. Nonetheless, GFD effectiveness on FM patients cannot be confirmed based on the current evidence.

Key words: Fibromyalgia, quality of life, gluten-free diet, symptoms, management, systematic review