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	Information on IBS
	IBS cause
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	Symptoms
	IBS syndrome
	IBS Diet
	What Is IBS
	Stress
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	Symptoms
	Foods that trigger
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	Diarrhoea Predominant IBS
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	Constipation
	Diverticulosis
	Do I have IBS?
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Causes of IBS

No one completely understands IBS, there is no cure for IBS and there are no standard tests to detect IBS and yet IBS remains the most common complaint seen by gastroenterologists today. So what causes it? Again, no one knows, although research has highlighted certain factors that can trigger IBS.

Bran

Constipation can be a symptom of IBS, and one way to treat constipation is to introduce more fibre into the diet, often in the form of unprocessed Bran. However, fibre has also been implicated as a trigger of IBS. A research study entitled “Bran and irritable bowel syndrome, a time for reappraisal” conducted by Frances and Whorwell and published in the Lancet in 1994 concluded that instead of helping IBS, it may well be exacerbating milder symptoms and actually causing IBS in some people.

Fructose

Research by Younk K. Choi of the University of Iowa was presented at the 68th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in 2003. Choi reported that eliminating or reducing fructose in the diet could significantly reduce the symptoms of IBS. The study involved 80 patients who had symptoms of IBS each of whom were tested for fructose intolerance, something that was confirmed in just under 40% of the patients. After a year of eliminating fructose from their diets, 50% of those who followed the diet, reported that symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhoea and bloating were reduced and those who didn’t follow the diet reported no change. The suggestion is that fructose can trigger IBS in susceptible people.

Stress

It is interesting that around half of the people who are diagnosed with IBS can relate their first symptoms back to a time when they were facing a stressful situation such as a change of job or bereavement, so stress appears to be a major trigger factor. People with IBS do seem to have increased sensitivity of the bowel to external stresses. Indeed, IBS is believed to be a disorder caused by a malfunction in the way that the brain interacts with the nervous system and the intestines to process bowel movements so as stress has an impact on our brain, it stands to reason that in turn it can impact on our digestive system.

So what happens to our digestive system when we are stressed? Basically when we are stressed, the brain releases chemicals that send messages to the gut, which can influence peristalsis. Peristalsis is the muscle contractions that occur in the digestive tract to propel food through the digestive system. This process is also known as intestinal motility. We will all be familiar with the sensation in our abdomen when we are afraid or feeling particularly anxious or stressed, this same feeling appears to be highly intensified in an IBS sufferer so external stress has a significant impact on the symptoms of IBS.

Infection and Bacteria

Some people develop IBS after a bout of gastroenteritis (an inflammatory infection of the gut characterised by pain, vomiting and diarrhoea). This would indicate that a germ or virus may have a contributory role in triggering IBS but no one really knows for sure. Certainly, some cases of IBS worsen after taking a course of antibiotics. Antibiotics work by killing off bacteria (including friendly bacteria) which upsets the balance of bacteria in the gut. This could explain why some people have reported beneficial effects of Probiotics on IBS symptoms.