Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): Finally a solution?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): Finally a solution? One fifth of South Africans experience constant bloating and stomach cramps often accompanied by diarrhoea, constipation or both. You may have been to your doctor countless times, and conventional treatments simply do not work anymore. You may have been exposed to invasive, expensive investigations time and again, and the results turn out to be normal. Yet your symptoms are far from normal and it leaves you feeling hopeless, frustrated and isolated, with high medical bills!
Research has shown that diet can play a crucial role in the management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) – we finally have a solution that can improve symptoms and quality of life in about 75% of patients suffering from IBS.
IBS is a common disorder that causes a variety of symptoms including:
• Abdominal pain, discomfort and cramping
• Diarrhoea and/or constipation
• Bloating and gassiness
• Feeling as though a bowel movement is incomplete
The severity of the disorder varies from person to person. Some people experience symptoms that come and go and are just mildly annoying. Others have such severe daily bowel problems that IBS affects their ability to work, sleep and enjoy life.
How can your diet make a difference?
A new concept of elimination of certain foods in your diet has been developed and it has become a popular treatment for IBS sufferers around the globe. The diet is called a low FODMAP diet (which is an acronym for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Dissaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols).
It may sound like a mouthful, but it’s basically a group of short-chain carbohydrates that are not digested or absorbed well in people with IBS. These high FODMAP foods are then fermented by bacteria in the large intestine, thus producing excess gas. In patients with IBS, the whole physiological process causes severe symptoms.
It is important to note that the list of high FODMAP foods is quite extensive. It includes food items such as apple, watermelon and mushroom – often foods that you will not expect to cause problems. Among the list you will also find the common culprits such as garlic, onion, beans and wheat. Certain foods will cause worse symptoms in some people than in others, as gut sensitivity is highly individual.
How can a dietitian help?
When you decide to go on a low FODMAP diet it is important that you consult a dietitian who is trained in the FODMAP dietary approach. They will carry out an assessment of your current diet and symptoms, and tackle other problems such as unintentional weight loss.
They will give you advice and guidance on eliminating the complete list of high FODMAP foods and at the same time ensure that your diet stays nutritionally adequate with no risk of any nutrient deficiencies. The diet is also fairly low in fibre, so you will need to make sure that you get adequate amounts of the right kind of fibre.
They will also give you tips on how to approach your shopping, identify FODMAPs on food labels and ingredient lists, and advise on what to do when eating out.
After a period of 6 – 8 weeks they will take you through a step-wise reintroduction process to help you identify the trigger foods that cause your symptoms, while monitoring you and your symptoms carefully. This is an important step in the process so that you do not have to stay on such a strict elimination diet for life.
You no longer have to suffer in silence. Finally we have a cost-effective solution based on sound scientific evidence, which offers a good alternative for IBS sufferers. Donnay, at DG Dietetics, is trained in the low FODMAP dietary approach and can support you on your journey to improve your IBS symptoms.
Nutrition is a science and dietitians are the recognised experts in the field of evidence based nutrition. There are many unscientific health and nutrition publications, fad diets and nutrition gimmicks around. When you consult a dietitian, you are protected from misleading treatments and misinformation.
