Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome Not More Likely To Develop Polyps or Colon Cancer

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome are at no greater risk of having polyps, colon cancer or inflammatory bowel diseases than healthy people undergoing colonoscopies, according to new research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

"Patients and doctors get nervous about the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)," says William D. Chey, M.D., professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School. "They think the symptoms represent something more sinister."

"This study should reassure doctors and patients that typical IBS symptoms are not indicators of a more serious disease," he adds. (link)

Living With Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Video

YouTube user rickvanman has a two-part video explaining his experiences with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. He explains both the physical and mental toll IBS can take on the sufferer. I can completely relate his experiences to my own while dealing with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

PART 1:


PART 2:


(via Digestionblog: link)

Omega 3 Limits Tumours In Those Prone To Bowel Cancer

A purified form of an omega 3 cuts the number and size of precancerous bowel growths (polyps) in people whose genetic make-up predisposes them to bowel cancer, finds research published ahead of print in the journal Gut.

The researchers base their findings on 55 patients, all of whom had the inherited genetic mutation that prompts the development of precancerous polyps in the bowel - known as familial adenomatous polyposis, or FAP for short. (link)

Allergic Disease Linked To Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Adults with allergy symptoms report a high incidence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), suggesting a link between atopic disorders and IBS according to a study published this month in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology,the scientific journal of the American Collegeof Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

In a study of 125 adults, Rush University Medical Center's Dr. Mary C. Tobin and colleagues found the likelihood of IBS was significantly higher in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis (2.67 times), patients with allergic eczema (3.85 times), and patients with depression (2.56 times).(link)

Low FODMAP Diet for Management of IBS Symtoms

The FODMAP theory suggests that limiting the amount of high FODMAP foods should result in a decrease in these unpleasant digestive systems. FODMAP researchers are currently purporting evidence, which is perhaps overly optimistic, that a low FODMAP diet is effective in reducing symptoms in approximately three quarters of IBS patients.

The low FODMAP diet provides an effective approach to the management of patients with functional gut symptoms, with an increasing evidence base. It is a dietitian-delivered diet that achieves a high degree of compliance. It provides relief of global symptoms in the majority of patients with IBS and offers improvement in functional gut symptoms in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. It warrants widespread application.(link)

Study finds structural brain alterations in patients with irritable bowel syndrome

A large academic study has demonstrated structural changes in specific brain regions in female patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition that causes pain and discomfort in the abdomen, along with diarrhea, constipation or both.

The findings show that IBS is associated with both decreases and increases in grey matter density in key areas of the brain involved in attention, emotion regulation, pain inhibition and the processing of visceral information.(link)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Can Have Genetic Causes

Irritations of the bowel can have genetic causes. Researchers at the Institute of Human Genetics at Heidelberg University Hospital have discovered this correlation. The causes of what is known as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), one of the most common disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, are considered unclear – making diagnosis and treatment extremely difficult. The results from Heidelberg, which were published in the prestigious journal “Human Molecular Genetics”, improve the outlook for an effective medication against a disease that is frequently played down as a func-tional disorder.

In Germany, approximately five million people are affected by IBS, women about twice as often as men. But only around 20 percent of these people even consult a physician. Many patients suffer from constipation, others from severe diarrhea, or a combination of both. The illness affects the general condition and quality of life of these patients and often lasts for months or even years. (link)