What’s triggering your IBS? Here’s why you may need to get a Food Intolerance test!

IBS, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, is a common condition which affects around 10-20% of the population and causes bloating, stomach cramps, diarrhea and constipation. While it’s not usually considered serious, it can still cause a lot of pain and discomfort for patients, and requires daily care and consideration for it to be kept under control. If you’ve been experiencing worse IBS symptoms recently, it’s important to get to the bottom of what’s causing the irritation.

What causes IBS?

Nobody really knows what causes IBS, though there are indications that stress, family history and oversensitive nerves in your gut could all have something to do with it. Some doctors think that IBS is caused by food passing too slowly or quickly through the gut. Whatever the cause, unfortunately, there’s no complete cure, but there are ways to manage the symptoms of this condition.

How can I get diagnosed with IBS?

The best way to manage IBS is to, first, see your GP. Your GP will be able to make a diagnosis based on symptoms alone, provided they reach the threshold for IBS. Additional tests, such as a stool study, an x-ray, and a colonoscopy may be needed if your doctor isn’t sure or is concerned that your symptoms could be caused by other conditions.

Which foods can trigger IBS?

Once IBS has been established, it’s then time to investigate which foods are triggering your IBS. We’re all different, and what might be a trigger for someone else may not be for you. However, there are some foods which are known to be common triggers of IBS flare-ups, including:

– High fat, greasy foods, like pizza, sausages, burgers, chips.

– Dairy, such as milk and cheese.

– Wheat, found in bread, pasta and cakes.

– Fruits and vegetables high in fructose and other short-chained carbohydrates, including apples, watermelon, peas and garlic.

– Beans and legumes, including baked beans, chickpeas, and kidney beans.

– Spicy food, such as chilli peppers.

– Cola and other carbonated drinks.

– Alcohol

Keeping a food diary to track which foods might be triggering flare-ups is a good idea to begin with, but the most conclusive answers can often be found through food intolerance testing, a relatively new step forward in IBS medicine. Food intolerance tests can be conducted with just a small pinprick of blood and will reveal which foods you should definitely eliminate from your diet in order to vastly mitigate the symptoms of IBS.

For more information on managing IBS or getting tested, get in touch with us on 800 The Practice Poly Clinic.