# Fiber and constipation



## Nuffa (Sep 12, 2014)

Yesterday, i read a study that came to the conclusion that people with chronic c do best on a No- fiber diet. Hmmm. Confused.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

well, fiber can help with constipation but only if the constipation is caused by a lack of fiber.

for people with slow colonic transit, fiber, as my gastro docs have told me and as i found out for myself, is not our friend. if (for whatever reason) your colon is moving things out slowly, dumping more fiber--especially insoluble fiber--is just going to back things up all the more.

it basically boils down to experimenting with amounts of fiber and finding out what works best for you. i found that i do best with a diet lower in fiber.


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

Nuffa said:


> Yesterday, i read a study that came to the conclusion that people with chronic c do best on a No- fiber diet. Hmmm. Confused.


You might wanna post the link to the study you read, if you could.

I think if you have chronic constipation, first you should indeed try more fiber in your diet, for a week or two. If it works? You are all set, ready to go. Even perhaps cured, one might say?

But for about 70% of us here, give or take, a high fiber diet actually makes matters worse. I don't care what doctors say or what kind of fiber it is - I've tried 'em all. I personally think less fiber is better for a lot of us with IBS-C.

Ingesting more fiber is like trying to pass tree branches, and in slow motion. (No good!)

(I also think probiotics makes matters worse, but that's another story.)

Good post Nuffa.


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## Nuffa (Sep 12, 2014)

Voilà; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3435786/


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

thanks, Nuffa! terrific article!

way way back in the day (early 1970's) when i first went to a doctor because of my constipation, he told me to eat 40 grams of fiber a day.. and they kept telling me that for years. yikes! way too much fiber, i soon found out. all it did was back me up all the more.

if only the doctors knew this about fiber back then..... and some of them are still giving out all this "more fiber" misinformation...


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

annie7 said:


> thanks, Nuffa! terrific article!
> 
> way way back in the day (early 1970's) when i first went to a doctor because of my constipation, he told me to eat 40 grams of fiber a day.. and they kept telling me that for years. yikes! way too much fiber, i soon found out. all it did was back me up all the more.
> 
> if only the doctors knew this about fiber back then..... and some of them are still giving out all this "more fiber" misinformation...


Most of them are.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

well, thankfully neither of my gastros pushed fiber on me. guess i've been lucky when it comes to gastro docs. they both agreed--fiber is not my friend.


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

Add me to that fiber-not-being-my-friend list Annie!

I wish it was though, and would make everything better just like that (snaps fingers).


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh yeah--wouldn't that be wonderful!!!


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## Wissey (Apr 25, 2015)

After 9 months of being told by by docs and dieticians to eat more and more fibre and lots of fruit I was tod this morning by a locum doctor to AVOID fruit and vegitables. I have come to the conclusion that I know my bowel better than anyone else and I will eat what works for me(grumpy cos I have just had my first real flare up for ages after following my dietician's latest advice to avoid bread) I agree with Flossy about probiotics but said dietician insists that i was not taking enough water with them. Got to get back to normal soon as I am training for Race for LIfe (a charity run for Cancer research for all you non Europeans out there) I have had conflicting advice about running as well-regular doc says its the best thing for me but others are horrified at the"risk of making myself worse". I repeat WE ARE THE EXPERTS ON OUR OWN BODIES. Other people can give very good advice but I think we all have to do what works for us, Exits in serch of toast


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

I couldn't agree more, Wissey! we are the experts when it comes to our own bodies and oh yes, we do have to do what works for us!

enjoy that toast









(ps that's wonderful that you are training for the Race for Life---good for you! )


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## Wissey (Apr 25, 2015)

Thanks Annie I did enjoy the toast and feel better today. i actualy would reccomend running to anyone whose general health will allow it- it takes my mind off my bowels and calms me down.Race for Life is a great atmosphere and very inspiring even if you can't move very fast

Back to being our own experts- my family have noticed that I seem better and more confident when I have not seen a professional for a few months and I am managing mysef. Unfortunately I have to keep seeing docs as I had a small bowel tumour taken out 10 years ago. Followup stopped 5 years ago but I have to report any pains or constipation that does not respond to laxitives just incase its not"just" IBS. So far I have been lucky but another scan is looming up. I would be the last one to say don't take advice from your doctors and will be eternaly grateful to the lovely hospital staff who got me through my operation but I do think it's all about trial and error and sticking to what is right for your body. Good luck everybody -we'll get there with IBS and find a cure for cancer as well.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

so sorry to hear about your small bowl tumor. and oh yes, for that reason you do have to keep seeing your doctor so as to stay on top on it all. good luck with your next scan. i know those can be a bit worrisome. my husband has to have them for his lung and i've had to have them for suspicious breast masses etc. i find i worry more about my husband than i do myself lol...

fingers crossed it all goes well for you! take good care..


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## Nuffa (Sep 12, 2014)

Just wanted to add that on an ibs facebook group someone with ibs c said that going on a liquid for a few days diet helped her c.


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## Nuffa (Sep 12, 2014)

Wissey, wishing u all the best. Also, i love your attitude!


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## Stevect06 (Jun 20, 2014)

I as well have found less fiber is better. I didn't realize that could be the case by advice from a professional, it was on this forum. In fact the last G.I. specialist I saw in October support what I was doing to manage the chronic C situation - such as keeping a food log and researching information online.


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## Troublesome (Jun 22, 2015)

Good advice. I tried more fiber all it did was make things worse only thing works for me is soup liquid diet..


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## Nuffa (Sep 12, 2014)

Does the liquid diet resolve your c, troublesome?


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## Troublesome (Jun 22, 2015)

Nuffa said:


> Does the liquid diet resolve your c, troublesome?


I'm new to the ibs world. Here are some things I have discovered.

Went through various experiments these pass 7 months.

Liquid diets like soup , smoothies allow me pass stool more easier. High fibre carbs merely blow my stomach up.

50 grams of fiber you would think would help wrong, only more stoo build upl in the colon. One of the Colons main function is absorbing water h20 that we consume so water works much more efficiently.

See the problem with constipation not from lack of fiber or diet its a muscle thing. Our constipation is a result of damaged colon muscles/nerves in our colon.

I stumbled on this discovery a week ago.once taking a muscle relaxer, that made me fart whole lot. Putting my colon at ease.


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## Nuffa (Sep 12, 2014)

I dont get the last part with the muscle relaxer?


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## Wissey (Apr 25, 2015)

Hi Troublesome What you said makes a lot of sense to me. I have thought for some time my problem is not so much what I eat but what condition my colon is in What muscle relaxent are you using?.Thanks for your good wishes Nuffa and Annie This forum does make me feel lbetter.


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## Leo41 (Dec 13, 2010)

Ok.. so by looking at this article is fiber bad for everyone? Regardless of C or D?


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## Nuffa (Sep 12, 2014)

That depends of the cause of your issues, i'd say.


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## Troublesome (Jun 22, 2015)

Nuffa said:


> I dont get the last part with the muscle relaxer?


I was having should and neck muscles pain so my doctor gave me muscle relaxers....Un related to digestive issues.

Ever since then I been farting a whole lot.

I came to the conclusion that my constipation is a result of muscle never damage in my colon not from lack of fiber. So I eat foods that easier digest and dont strain, like soup and smoothies


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## Troublesome (Jun 22, 2015)

Wissey said:


> Hi Troublesome What you said makes a lot of sense to me. I have thought for some time my problem is not so much what I eat but what condition my colon is in What muscle relaxent are you using?.Thanks for your good wishes Nuffa and Annie This forum does make me feel lbetter.


Baclofen


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## dboy (Apr 4, 2014)

Just my 2 cents,

Moderate fiber does not hurt. It took me about a year to get back on track with my normal bowel movements after using probiotics. But, a dose of ZPACK for upper respiratory infection wiped me out again. But this time I found ripe Banana and probiotics do wonders.


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## minimalizer (Jun 8, 2014)

Troublesome said:


> I'm new to the ibs world. Here are some things I have discovered.
> 
> Went through various experiments these pass 7 months.
> 
> ...


Yah, like an anti-spasmotic does.

I want to add, it takes alot of liquid to push fiber through or it can move too slowly, fermenting causing excess gas. I've read for ibs-c it can require drinking up to 16 oz water/day. An entire gallon. Also, going off osmotic laxative has to overlap introducing/building fiber supplements, because that osmotic kind of laxative does not encourage muscle tone, leaving weak colon motility. Argh. I'm helping a family member with C.


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## tummyrumbles (Aug 14, 2005)

The problem with talking about fibre is people here tend to oversimplify things and say fibre is basically bad for them. Certain fibre is bad. Fibre that causes your colon to spasm is bad for you, but not all fibre is going to do this. I'm not constipated in the traditional sense as I go every morning (eventually) but certain foods cause constipation for me and there's a lot of them: saturated fats from sausages, dairy and hard cheese or any food with "morphins" - wheat etc, a lot of high fibre insoluble vegetables like asparagus and any high fibre grain. It's the level of fibre and the type of fibre that's important for me. I think all of us need a certain amount of fibre, generally soluable fibre that swells in the colon and helps the evacuation reflex. Insoluable fibre tends to rush through. We probably need a bit of both, in safe quantities. If you have a bacterial imbalance certain fibre will make things worse - e.g. starchy vegetables and these can be a mix of soluable and insoluable fibre so you can't just go by that. Watery and well-mashed vegetables like potato and pumpkin and carrot are my good-send as they don't cause any distress to my colon and that's basically what we're all looking for - food that moves through efficiently without causing spasms. It only takes one bad thing to completely screw up evacuation for me. I could do everything else right - not overeat, eat early, go to bed early, get lots of sleep, eat the right veges - but if I do one wrong thing - like eat sausages or cheese late at night for instance, this seems to set up colonic spasms and completely ruins evacuation the next day. It only takes one bad food to undo all the good things I've been doing. That's the nature of having an overly sensitive colon. The other question is: why is my colon overly sensitive in the first place and what does that actually mean. I'm assuming in my case bacterial imbalance is affecting neurotransmitters and peristalsis. So I don't want to feed the bacteria any more than I have to. So I end up eating lean meat, fish or eggs every day as this helps to fill me up and bacteria don't seem to eat these proteins as they're digested differently. Low fibre veges like potatoes, which being low fibre aren't necessarily good for IBS if they feed bacteria. So high starch veges can be bad for your IBS if you do have a bacterial overgrowth, regardless of how much fibre they have. But if you don't tend to generate gas, then starchy veges might be OK. Your underlying problem might be totally different. If you go weeks without evacuating but don't really suffer from gas then your problem could be mainly a problem with gut brain signalling. In this case I'd still try very well-cooked vegetables that are easily digested and maybe ease up on meats which being a non-vegetable, are basically constipating. Fish has a higher water content so maybe try fish or eggs and well-cooked, easily digested veges and stick to this as much as possible.


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