NUTRI-EMERGE: IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS): PREVALENCE, CAUSES, FOOD, PHYSICAL & OTHER FACTORS
- Nutri-Emerge
- Jun 11, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 16, 2020
Irritable bowel syndrome is the most commonly seen gastrointestinal disorder in the modern society yet conflicting results based on identification, frequency, causative factor, tests and interventions were reported. However, more and more studies now have directed their focus in addressing several aspects of IBS and how to approach it, not only on the physiological point of view but also on psychological and dietary factors (NUTRITION).
WHAT IS IBS?
Irritable bowel syndrome is a common disorder that affects the large intestine and commonly causes cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhoea and constipation. IBS is a chronic condition that requires long-term management and attention (Mayo Clinic staff, 2015).
PREVALENCE
The prevalence of IBS, even though varies on different locations, showed high occurrence on females (Lovell & Ford, 2012). Additionally, a study done by Libyan Journal of Medicine showed that females were more prone to IBS symptoms after a very stressful event such as going through a difficult and extensive examination of Medical students and interns in Jeddah (Ibrahim, Batterjee, & Almehradi, 2013).
CAUSES
Specific cause of IBS is still unknown. There are many contributory factors but I like to mention some of the psychological factors.
The ‘Learning model’ suggests that in order for children to cope with stress, they learn to develop gut symptoms (Murray & Pizzorno, 2012).
Another interesting theory is that IBS reflects the real problem which could either or both depression and chronic anxiety (Murray & Pizzorno, 2012).
One work confirmed that stress definitely triggers IBS symptoms especially when participants underwent a very stressful situation such as school exam (Ibrahim, Batterjee, & Almehradi, 2013)
FOOD & PHYSICAL FACTORS
There are many things attributed to IBS but it is commonly attributed to the dietary & physical factors.
Sugar – Increase sugar consumption will make the intestine sluggish and affect the way the food and metabolites move in and out of the body. (Murray & Pizzorno, 2012).
By not avoiding the substances (food allergens/intolerances) that caused the physiological responses, the body will persistently send immunologic responses causing irritation and inflammation in your gut or some parts of the body. (Eswaran, et. al, 2011).
Leaky Gut- Kozyrskyi, et. al (2011) mentioned that compromised gut wall integrity will make IBS patients more prone to allergies & intolerances.
Lack of fiber in the diet – successful in addressing gut issues especially the constipated type of IBS. (Murray & Pizzorno, 2012)
Lack of Vitamin D- Various evidences showed the linear association of Vitamin D deficiency and several illnesses such as IBS, infections, heart disease and diabetes (Holick, 2010).
OTHERS:
Hormones out of whack especially for women (Mayo Clinic, 2020) & Stress – it continuously drives the body in an alert (sympathetic response) and would adversely affect most systems of the body including the gut (Murray & Pizzorno, 2012).
Runner’s gut - Our tummy is slowly digesting food while the rest of the body is getting the blood supply and nutrients needed for the activity (Sports Dietician Australia, 2020).
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REFERENCES:
Eswaran, S. et. al (2011). ‘Food: The Forgotten factor in the Irritable Bowel Syndrome’, Gastroenterology Clinics of North America, Vol. 40(1), pp. 141-620
Ibrahim, N.K.R. Batterjee, W.F. & Almehradi, S.A. (2013). ‘Prevalence and predictors of irritable bowel syndrome among medical students and interns in King Abdulaziz university, Jeddah’, Libyan Journal of Medicine. Vol 8, pp. 10. NCBI [Online] Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3779356/ (Accessed: 26 Mar 2015)
Lovell, R.M. & Ford, A.C. (2012). ‘Global Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Meta-analysis’, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Vol. 10 (7), pp. 712–721. Cghjournal [Online] Available at http://www.cghjournal.org/a…/S1542-3565(12)00308-4/abstract… (Accessed: 15 Oct 2014)
Holick, M.F. (2010). ‘Extraskeletal Health’, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America, Vol. 39(2), pp. 381-400.
Kozyrskyi, A.L. Bahreinian, S. & Azad, M.B. (2011). ‘Early life Exposures: Impact on asthma and Allergic diseases’, Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Vol. 11(5), pp. 400-406.
Mayo Clinic (2020). Irritable bowel syndrome. [Online] Available at https://www.mayoclinic.org/…/i…/symptoms-causes/syc-20360016 (Accessed: 23/8/2020)
Murray, M. & Pizzorno, J. (2012). The Encyclopaedia of Natural Medicine. 3rd Rev Ed. USA: Atria. pp. 757- 763.
Sports Dietician Australia (2020). Runner’s Gut. [Online] Available at https://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/…/fuelling…/runners-gut/ Accessed on: 19/7/2020
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