Irritable Bowel Syndrome

The right diet is the key to managing many diseases and to improving general quality of life. For this condition, scientific research has found benefit in the following healthy eating tips.

• Elimination Diet

  +–
  Work with a specialist to identify foods that aggravate your Condition.

  more

  Elimination Diet

  ×

  Several trials report that food sensitivities occur in only a small percentage of people with IBS.^52,53,54 However, a leading researcher in the field claims at least 3.5 ounces of the offending food need to be consumed at frequent intervals to provoke IBS symptoms,⁵⁵ and the amount of test foods used in these studies was generally less than this amount. Therefore, inadequate quantities of food may have affected the outcomes of these trials. Other trials have reported that most IBS sufferers have food sensitivities, and that gas production and IBS symptoms diminish when the offending foods are discovered and avoided.^56,57,58,59 Some researchers report that problem foods need to be eaten at every meal for at least two days to evaluate the potential of food sensitivity.⁶⁰

  Researchers have found that standard blood tests used to evaluate allergies may not uncover food sensitivities associated with IBS, because IBS food sensitivities may not be true allergies.^61,57 The only practical way to evaluate which foods might trigger IBS symptoms is to avoid the foods and then reintroduce them. Such a procedure requires the guidance of a healthcare practitioner. Attempts to find and avoid problem foods without professional help may fail and may aggravate symptoms.

• High-Fiber Diet

  +–
  Try different fiber sources, including flaxseed, rye, brown rice, oatmeal, barley, and vegetables, to find the right balance of regularity without episodes of diarrhea.

  more

  High-Fiber Diet

  ×

  Limited research has suggested that fiber might help people with IBS.^62,63 However, most studies find that IBS sufferers do not benefit by adding wheat bran to their diets,^64,65,66,67 and some people feel worse as a result of wheat bran supplementation.⁶⁸ The lack of positive response to wheat bran may result from a wheat sensitivity,⁶⁹ which is one of the most common triggers for food sensitivity in people with IBS.⁷⁰Rye, brown rice, oatmeal, barley, vegetables, and psyllium husk are good sources of fiber and are less likely to trigger food sensitivities than is wheat bran. Except for psyllium, little is known about the effects of these other fibers in people with IBS.

• Fructose and Sorbitol

  +–
  Try replacing dairy products and foods containing fructose and sorbitol with alternative dairy and sweetened products to see which restrictions may help reduce your symptoms.

  more

  Fructose and Sorbitol

  ×

  There is evidence that some people with IBS have greater trouble absorbing the sugars lactose (as found in milk), fructose (as found in high concentration in fruit juice and dried fruit), and sorbitol (as found in some dietetic candy) than do healthy people.^71,72 In those people, restricting intake of the sugars that they have difficulty absorbing frequently decreases the symptoms of IBS. Fructose and lactose are among the list of foods that contain fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs). Other foods high in FODMAPs include wheat, legumes, and foods high in sorbitol. Consumption of a low-FODMAP diet has been found to improve IBS symptoms in a high proportion of cases.⁷³