Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) DIET

The manifestations of IBS

are intermittent and may occur for years. Patients often report a history of GI infections and food intolerances.

Advise the patient whose primary symptoms are abdominal distention and flatulence to avoid common gas-producing foods

broccoli and cabbage. If dairy products tend to cause symptoms, yogurt may be the best option because of the lactobacillus bacteria it contains. Some patients benefit from certain probiotic combinations.

For those with constipation

encourage an intake of enough dietary fiber to produce soft, painless bowel movements.

Women

Affects women 2 to 2.5 times more often than men • More likely to have IBS with constipation • Report more extraintestinal co-morbidities (e.g., migraine headache, insomnia, fibromyalgia)

FODMAPs

fermentable oligo-, di-, and monosaccharides and polyols

Examples FODMAPs

fructans (found in wheat, rye, onions, garlic, and legumes), galactans, lactose (found in milk and yogurt), fructose (found in honey, apples, pears, and high-fructose corn syrup), sorbitol, and xylitol. Psychologic stressors (e.g., depression, anxiety, sexual abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder) are associated with development and exacerbation of IBS.

Men

• More likely to have IBS with diarrhea • Less likely to admit to symptoms or seek help for them • Experience more interpersonal difficulties

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

is a disorder characterized by chronic abdominal pain or discomfort and alteration of bowel patterns. Diarrhea or constipation may predominate, or they may alternate. As a functional GI disorder, IBS has no known organic cause.

IBS is diagnosed solely

on sx. symptoms require the presence of abdominal pain and/or discomfort at least 3 months that is associated with two or more of the following: improvement with defecation, change in stool frequency at onset, or change in the stool appearance at onset.8