Causes of IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome Info

There are many theories about the causes of IBS, and people’s experiences vary widely. For some people, certain kinds of foods can trigger an attack. For others it’s a stressful situation at home or in the workplace. And still for others, IBS can be caused by a bout of gastroenteritis or food poisoning.

Food and drink

Intolerances to food and drink can be unpredictable, temporary or develop only later in life in otherwise healthy adults. Some of the food groups most commonly known to trigger IBS symptoms include:

• Wheat Products
• Dairy Products
• Onions
• Caffeine-containing drinks like tea, coffee, and cola
• Chocolate

Many people find that keeping a Food Diary to track what they eat and see how their body reacts can help them spot problematic patterns of consumption, allowing them to prepare an IBS diet to control their symptoms.

Stress and anxiety

The pace and pressure of modern life can be overwhelming at times. And while stress and anxiety don’t directly cause IBS, they can certainly trigger the symptoms. A small amount of stress is good – it keeps us aware and active – but when it gets out of hand it can leave you feeling anxious and out-of-control. This stress can come from a single difficult issue – at home or in the workplace – or be the cumulative effect of many minor irritations. And when IBS appears, it very often makes things even worse.

As with Food and Drink, many people find that keeping a diary of their feelings of stress and anxiety can help. Being able to see stress (and potentially another attack of IBS) coming can be the first step in managing IBS successfully.

Gastroenteritis

Tummy upset caused by gastroenteritis or food poisoning is all too common, and some IBS sufferers can trace their first instance of IBS symptoms back to a bad bout of it. Medical professionals now believe that a major disruption to the bacterial balance in your intestines can sometimes lead to longer-term problems with IBS.