Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a highly prevalent
gastrointestinal disorder that reduces patients’ quality of life and imposes a
significant economic burden to the healthcare system. It affects between 6–18%
of people worldwide and is characterized by the presence of a cluster of
symptoms and signs including cramping, increased gas, abdominal pain, altered
bowel habits, food intolerance, and bloating. For some people, IBS involves
incontinence or a feeling of incomplete evacuation. Some patients have no
abdominal pain in the morning, and get stomachaches in the afternoon. Others go
for two weeks without pain, and then have a day of crippling pain. These
effects of IBS may cause you to feel you're not living life to the fullest,
leading to discouragement or depression.
Dietary modification should be the first-line of treatment
in the management of IBS. There are several types of foods in particular that
often trigger IBS symptoms and signs.
- Avoid culprit foods. Fatty foods aggravate symptoms in many people with IBS. Fats slow down the digestive tract, gumming up the works in an already irregular system. Milk can also trigger symptoms in people with IBS who are lactose intolerant.
- Reduce or eliminate trans-fatty acids, found in commercially baked goods, such as cookies, crackers etc
- Many studies show that probiotics help relieve symptoms of IBS, including abdominal pain, gas, and constipation.
- Eating a healthy diet that includes mainly fruits, vegetables, and whole grains plays a key role in the management of gastritis. If gas is a problem, you may want to limit the intake of gas forming foods.
Probiotics
and IBS
Probiotics
are microorganisms that can help the symptoms of IBS by regulating motility,
constipation, and diarrhea. Research is beginning to support a potential role
for probiotics in IBS, with variability depending on the use of different
probiotic strains, their ability to adhere to and colonize in the GI tract, and
the number of colony-forming units an individual ingests. Prebiotics and
probiotics are helpful to IBS patients but they should not be used as a
first-line defense. Instead, it’s important to get to the root of food
sensitivities that may trigger symptoms.
