What Causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

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What Causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

The question "what causes irritable bowel syndrome?" is a dynamic one. There is currently no universal answer.

There are many different factors that can fully or partially contribute to the causes or triggers of IBS. Sometimes they can be single factors, but just as often they are likely to be a combination of several.

Trigger foods

One of the most common causes or triggers of IBS can be the consumption of certain foods and drinks (known as trigger foods). The foods listed below are the most well known triggers....

Wheat
dairy products
caffeine
coffee
tea
artificial sweeteners
alcohol
gluten

There are many other trigger foods, too numerous to list, but these are generally considered the most common.

Don't panic! This does not mean that you can never consume any of these foods again! The chances are, If your IBS is caused by a trigger food, it may only be one or two specific items that are causing it.

Determining your Trigger Foods
What causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome will be different for every person. There are some tests available that can help to determine if you are intolerant to certain foods, but I am currently sceptical about them due to conflicting information about their effectiveness.

Monitoring
The other, more reliable way to find out what are your trigger foods (if any) is to monitor what you eat.

Diet sheets for IBS are very useful here and will enable you to log down everything you eat and what results you get.

Elimination diet
Of course another more direct approach would be an elimination diet, where you cut out a certain type of food all together for a period of time and see if your IBS symptoms improve.

Partial-intolerance to certain foods
If you are able to track down a specific trigger food that sets off your IBS, you may actually find you can still tolerate that food in small amounts.

For example, diary food is a common IBS trigger food, but many people find that although dairy food is the cause of their IBS symptoms, they can still have a small dash of milk in their tea (if you are English!) without any side-effects.

Food Allergies and IBS?
Intolerance to foods should not be confused with Food allergies.

A food allergy is an actual reaction to a certain food that is triggered by the immune system (as opposed to an intolerance that causes unpleasant symptoms).

Genuine food allergies are actually very rare but must be correctly diagnosed and treated. We must stress if you believe that you have a food allergy, it is vital that you see a qualified doctor.

The Brain-Gut Connection

Another well-known factor of What causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome is an unbalanced brain-gut interaction (also see our page on the psychological issues of living with IBS.)

Recent studies have outlined the importance of how the nervous system is connected to the digestive system.

There is continuous communication between the gut and the brain through a monoamine neurotransmitter called serotonin.

Serotonin is created in the central nervous system and is involved in the regulation of mood and can have a direct influence over the functioning of the gut.

In addition, studies have shown that when a person is in a state of anxiety or panic, available blood-flow will be diverted to the muscles to prepare the body for 'fight or flight' mode, effectively shutting down the digestive system until the danger has passed.

A person who is constantly in an anxious state may experience this phenomenon because their digestive system is never allowed to function correctly.

Stress

Stress can also be a big factor in what causes irritable bowel syndrome, and can increase the sensitivity of the gut, which could account for some of the pain experienced by IBS sufferers.

It can also cause the production of inflammatory chemicals within the gut which can add to the misery.

Keeping your stress levels under control is extremely important if you have, or are prone to IBS. See our IBS self-help page for some of the things you can do to help manage stress.

Some Medications

Some prescribed and non-prescribed medicines (such as anti-inflammatory and also antibiotics) have been know to cause or antagonize IBS symptoms. Ibuprofen is a good example. Any-one who suffers from digestive problems should consult their doctor before taking Aspirin-based painkillers, as they may be advised to discontinue use and prescribed another form of painkiller.

Fatty Foods

Foods that are high in fat like French fries, cheese, ice cream and chocolate etc are high up on the list of what causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome. They are well known to make the symptoms of IBS worse.

It is often advised that people suffering from IBS avoid fried foods especially, which can also lead to gastric reflux and heartburn in some IBS sufferers.

Incorrect bacterial balance in the gut
Incorrect bacterial balance in the gut.Taking a Probiotic drink each day is touted by many as effective in balancing the flora within the gut, thereby alleviating the symptoms of IBS, if such an imbalance is the cause or trigger for IBS.

Such imbalances are most commonly caused by taking a course of antibiotics, which destroys the " good " bacteria.

It is also not uncommon for antibiotics to cause nausea and diarrhea, a side effect of the natural gut flora being decreased by the drug. This may worsen IBS, or possibly trigger a spasm.

The latest research on the effectiveness of Probiotic drinks has suggested that the levels within the drinks are not high enough to affect the flora of the gut, and that Acidophilus in pill form, sold at most large supermarkets, health stores and online should be taken for any real benefit.

Genetics
Some people may naturally predisposed toward IBS. Delicate or sensitive stomachs can often run in families.

This is not an exhaustive list of what causes irritable bowel syndrome, and there are many other factors that contribute towards IBS.

If you can help us by adding to the list on this page, please use the email address on the Contact us page -thanks.

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