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IBS Weight Loss

If you experience changes in the frequency and appearance of your bowel movements along with abdominal pain and bloating, then it is quite possible you are suffering from irritable bowel syndrome and you should speak to your doctor.

It should be noted that additional symptoms like weight loss and blood in the stools is not a symptom of IBS and your doctor may want to perform a number of tests to rule out other conditions. Irritable bowel syndrome is usually diagnosed when no other cause can be found for the symptoms.

On saying that, some people who are afraid to eat because of the symptoms that go along with digestion, or who have diarrhoea predominant IBS may in fact lose a little bit of weight but any unexplained weight loss should be investigated.

If after you have spoken to your doctor and have been diagnosed with IBS then there are a number of self help measures you can take that might alleviate the symptoms and get your digestive system working properly again.

Self help measures

First of all it’s important to make sure that meal times are unhurried and stress free. Take your time over your meals and don’t skip any meals. By eating smaller portions at regular mealtimes in a relaxed manner, you can give your digestive system the best possible chance of processing your food with minimal problems.

If your main symptom is diarrhoea then it would be wise to avoid foods and drinks that stimulate or irritate the digestive system such as coffee, spicy food, fried foods, too much fat and alcohol or any other food or drink that you know you find hard to tolerate.

Increase the amount of fibre in your diet by eating more fresh fruits and vegetables or wholemeal grains and cereals but avoid unprocessed bran as this has been found in a number of research studies to make the symptoms of IBS worse.

Drink plenty of water, this cannot be emphasised enough as most people just do not drink the required amount of water that the body needs on a daily basis. As rough guide 2 litres of water a day is an ideal amount to aim for. This will help people with diarrhoea predominant IBS to replace lost fluids and will help the bowel movements to pass if your main problem is constipation.

It should be stressed that weight loss is not a symptom of IBS in itself but some IBS sufferers can experience a little bit of weight loss particularly if they have diarrhoea, or suffer from food intolerances. It is so important that if you do experience unexplained weight loss that you don’t just ignore it as it will not be because of your IBS and will need further investigation by your doctor to rule out potentially more serious causes.