It’s an undeniable fact that in the United States alone, between 3 percent and 20 percent of the population are affected by symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It’s also a fact that this disease affects more women than men and some people experience only minor symptoms of this discomforting condition. However, for other sufferers, the symptoms can be very severe and can disrupt their daily life.
What is this discomforting condition?
IBS is a chronic, debilitating, gastrointestinal (GI) disorder that comes with different symptoms that include abdominal pain, changing bowel behavior such as diarrhea and constipation or both in turns, and bloating.
When IBS appears, it means that the movement or function of the bowel is not what it should be.
Surprisingly, no medical tests can either confirm or rule out a diagnosis and yet it’s the most common worldwide condition can affect individuals.
It’s also the most frequently presented disorder that’s referred to gastrointestinal specialists known as gastroenterologists, for treatment.
The possible causes of IBS
As already indicated, it’s not possible as yet to pinpoint the real cause or causes for IBS.
However, it can be said to involve the interaction between the gastrointestinal tract, the amount of bacteria living in the gut, the nervous system, and the impact of external factors, such as anxiety or stress.
While unproven there are theories that claim that various factors may influence IBS symptoms such as the:
- neurological hyper-sensitive nature of the nerves within the gastrointestinal tract
- presence of physical and/or emotional stress
- chronic infection or inflammation of the intestine (enteritis), manifested by traveler’s diarrhea which may be precursors to the onset of IBS symptoms.
One important aspect to note is the sensitivity of the GI system to adrenalin, a hormone that’s released in the body when you become excited, anxious, or fearful, and also to other hormones.
Changes in female hormone levels can also impact the GI tract, so it follows that IBS symptoms may become exacerbated during specific times during the menstrual cycle.
Because these hormones are able to influence the movement time of food through the digestive system, it may be the reason why women get IBS more readily than men, but evidence is still scanty to substantiate this thinking.
It’s also very important to note that as there’s no definite proof as to the source of IBS, many suggested causes and offered cures for this syndrome are often just speculations and you shouldn’t be entices by them.
While there’s little doubt that IBS is a chronic and painful condition some consolation may be had in knowing that no evidence exist to suggest that there’s a relationship between the condition and an increased risk of even more serious bowel conditions such as inflammatory bowel diseaseorcolorectal cancer.
Managing IBS
Being an extremely complex system, it follows that the GI tract is greatly influenced by numerous nerves and hormones.
Another aspect of IBS is that it’s also affected greatly by the types of food that’s consumed, the frequency and environment of when and where the food is eaten, and the medications given for treatment, can impact both the secretions and movement (motility) of the intestines in the GI tract.
The most important aspect of managing the treatment of IBS is first and foremost to know and understand the rather unique nature of you symptoms and any factors that can aggravate and trigger them.
It’s also a relief to recognize that a period of time may lapse before your bowel returns to its normal functional mode and to also know that once treated, your symptoms can reoccur soon after treatment.
Changes in dietary and lifestyle habits
Eating
Eating is a human habit that attracts the closest scrutiny and response from your GI tract and hence the reason why it’s very important that you regularly engage in this habit.
However, regular eating should also consist of well-balanced, moderately sized meals that are eaten with the knowledge that IBS symptoms can improve when sufficient time for regular eating and bathroom visits develop over time.
Equally important is the culturing of a healthy sleep regimen that dovetails with a moderate amount of exercise which can also help reduce your symptoms.
Effects on IBS symptoms
Some people have reported that a diet consisting of monosodium glutamate (MSG), a food additive, can trigger IBS symptoms.
Others have found that symptoms are exacerbated when they consume large quantities of liquids with their meals.
Still others find that IBS symptoms improve when they consume cooked fruits and vegetables as opposed to eating them raw.
IBS sufferers may find that they need to reduce their consumption of foods and drinks that stimulate the GI such as alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and particularly if diarrhea is the main symptom.
GI tract gas
When you get IBS, it doesn’t mean you will produce more intestinal gas in your digestive system but it may mean that your intestines are very sensitive to the movement of gas.
One way to counter this problem is to reduce the amount of ingested gas and to avoid eating large quantities of gas-producing foods.
To reduce air ingestion you should avoid chewing gum, gulping food, using liquids to wash down food with liquids and sipping hot brews.
Increased air swallowing can also be done through loose dentures, severe postnasal discharge, acute pain, anxiety or tension.
A new dietary treatment
For the treatment of IBS, a new dietary therapy known as the lowFODMAP diet has gained popular approval in North America.
The full name is Fermentable, Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharaides, and Polyols which represent the names of carbohydrates that have not been digested properly.
They find their way into the large intestine where they are fermented by bacteria living there. Of themselves, they do not pose a problem but those with IBS say the foods actually made their symptoms worse.
The new diet works by avoiding specific foods for six to eight weeks to find out if symptoms subside. If they improve, a tolerable amount of FODMAPs may be reintroduced to the diet.
Because FODMAPs are found in many foods, removing them from your food intake over the long term can cause nutritional deficiencies.
While study results are promising, not everyone is helped which means that more research is needed and for this a simpler diet may be the answer.
The best way to monitor irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is to keep an intake diary for noting adverse reactions.
By using this method, you can readily identify and remove problematic food from your diet and determine an approach that works best for you.
You should nevertheless consult a registered dietitian for moving any food over the long-term.
Conclusion
It’s important to note that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a highly inconsistent conditions for which there are many triggers for setting it into motion. The best way to keep tabs on its ever changing nature is to keep a diary of food intake, noting any adverse reactions that occur. In doing so, you’ll be able to quickly find and remove foods from your diet that are causing the problem and work out another approach that can remove suspect food from your diet.
