Irritable Bowel Syndrome
About This Condition
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder that sometimes causes significant discomfort even though it is not a serious health threat.
The cause of IBS remains unknown. IBS is not related to inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
Symptoms
Typical symptoms include abdominal bloating and soreness, gas, and alternating diarrhea and constipation. People with IBS are more likely than others to have backaches, fatigue, and several other seemingly unrelated problems.
Other Therapies
A common treatment for IBS includes limiting the intake of dairy products and beans, as well as foods containing caffeine, fructose, or sorbitol. Concentrated amounts of fructose are found in dried fruit and fruit juice. Sorbitol is found primarily in dietetic foods, where it is used instead of sugar (sucrose). No conventional treatments of IBS have been proven to be effective in controlled trials.