# Lots more sugar, lots more IBS?



## karoe (Sep 22, 1999)

The rise in consumption of high fructose corn syrup in soft drinks has been found to be the culprit in the dramatic increase in diabetes in the general population. We eat more sugar, more simple carbohydrates than ever before. Besides the increase in diabetes, hasn't the incidence of IBS increased over the same period? Are there any studies that make a correlation of IBS & sugar consumpton? Probably not, but common sense would tell you yes, as sugar is the favorite food of bacteria. We eat too much of it, probably enough to have changed the ph of our bodies and change our intestinal flora. Why else would be such good hosts to bacteria? If I take the antibiotics to kill the bacteria, why shouldn't it come back? The environment that let it flourish in the first place is still here. Does a cure mean changing one's diet, radically? Or is the damage permanently done? I just put this out for discussion. I haven't tried rifaximin, yet, just thinking about it.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

FYI"Dietary MeasuresMany people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) notice that their symptoms appear to get worse following a meal. They may wonder if they have a dietary allergy or intolerance. More confusing, they may notice that a food seems to upset them on one day but not another. Among the most common questions IBS patients have is what food to avoid. This can drive a person to go looking for a diet or a test that might help sort all this out. A bewildering amount of often conflicting advice is available, especially on the Internet. Much of it is associated with a considerable cost.There are a variety of factors that affect IBS, and diet is just one of these. If other factors, such as stressors or hormonal changes, are more active on a particular day, then diet is more likely to push your symptoms "over the edge." There is no evidence that digestion of food is different in those with IBS compared to those without IBS. However, increased intestinal muscle reactivity and/or heightened sensitivity in IBS can cause the bowel to over-respond to stimuli. Even a normal event such as the act of eating itself, and not a particular food, may aggravate symptoms at times. When we eat, hormones are released that stimulate the gut."http://aboutibs.org/site/about-ibs/managem...ietary-measuresKaroe, they have found abnormalities in IBS that are not directly releated to bacteria.


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## Cherrie (Sep 1, 2006)

Hmm... very interesting topic!I don't really know the theory behind, but my personal experience is that neither my upper stomach nor my belly would be happy at all if I eat something that has too much sugar in it. I usually eat anything that's unsweetened or with no added sugar, from soy milk to pumpkin pie to fresh fruit... Cherrie


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

FYIThis was on IBD, but the principle applies to IBS.""Often they are sugars and carbohydrates that are not absorbed when they pass through the bowel and when they get into the colon they can ferment and produce gas and pain," Gearry said. http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=91463Certain sugars can cause osmotic d."Futhermore, there can be specific intolerances. So if you have a lactose intolerance for example, it can exacerbate, or even mimic IBS. Other examples of food substances causing diarrhea would be high consumers of caffeine or alcohol which can stimulate intestinal secretion or with the latter, pull water into the bowel (osmotic diarrhea). The same would be true for overdoing certain poorly absorbed sugars that can cause an osmotic type of diarrhea Sorbitol, found in sugarless gum and sugar substituted foods can also produce such an osmotic diarrhea. Even more naturally, people who consume a large amount of fruits, juices or other processed foods enriched with fructose, can get diarrhea because it is not as easily absorbed by the bowel and goes to the colon where it pulls in water. So if you have IBS, all of these food items would make it worse. "http://www.ibshealth.com/ibs_foods_2.htm


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## Cherrie (Sep 1, 2006)

Thanks for the info, Eric! Very good to know. Looks like I may be what dr Gaerry descibed...Luckily I never really liked stuff that's too sweet anyways (except icecream).Only that not eating anything that has wheat in it is really difficult







-- sorry, off-topic... Cherrie


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## karoe (Sep 22, 1999)

Thanks, Eric, for reminding me to clarify--- I meant this post for people who think their particular IBS condition is related to bacteria, or intestinal flora. As we all know, IBS is different for each of us. I am visiting this forum because I have had the experience of being symptom free while on antibiotics for something else, and I am trying to figure out what to do with what seems like a bacterial problem. Let me re-emphasize that my post raises the question of overall, fundamental changes in our intestinal flora as a result consumption of large quantities of sugars and simple carbs. I am advancing the suspicion that it's that fact that yields the disruption in our flora and the problems that follow. I just want to know what people think.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Karoe"As we all know, IBS is different for each of us."IBS is IBS and has a specific classification, while the symptoms can be different in people, its still all IBS if your diagnosed with IBS.There has been a lot of work done on bacteria and IBS and it is still one of the areas of IBS research being done. There are many important areas of IBS research being done.There are some five hundred or more species and a lot of them have not been cultured yet. So there are still unanswered questions.Transient bacteria can upset the gut in IBS, but its only one of multiply factors. Many other factors effect bacteria in the gut, including where they live and what they are exposed too. Someone out west, have different flora then someone down south, because it helps protect us in our own unique enviroments. Stress can also altered gut bacteria.It is also known in IBS that altered motility in IBS can effect fermentation of foods in the gut, because they can sit longer say in someone with c or c/d. However its important to look at ALL the research on bacteria and IBS.Some people may help their symptoms with antibiotics just because there maybe some transient bad bugs effecting them, but that doesn't totally mean IBS is then generated by bad bacteria. Bad transient bacteria can effect anyone even from leftovers from the fridge.I highly recommed reading the below entire article on this, because it explains some of the questions your asking.This is research on"fundamental changes in our intestinal flora" in IBS."Gut Bacteria and Irritable Bowel Syndrome By: Eamonn, M. M. Quigley M.D., Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Cork, IrelandBacteria are present in the normal gut (intestines) and in large numbers the lower parts of the intestine. These "normal" bacteria have important functions in life. A variety of factors may disturb the mutually beneficial relationship between the flora and its host, and disease may result. The possibility that gut bacteria could have a role in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may surprise some; there is indeed, now quite substantial evidence to support the idea that disturbances in the bacteria that populate the intestine may have a role in at least some patients with IBS. This article presents a discussion of the possible role of bacteria in IBS and various treatment approaches."Do bacteria play a role in IBS?The possibility that gut bacteria could have a role Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) may surprize some; there is indeed, now quite substantial evidence to support the idea that distrubances in the bacteria that populate the intestines may have a role in at least some patients with IBS. What is this evidence? It can be summarized as follows:1. surveys which found that antibiotic use, well known to distrub flora, may predispose individuals to IBS.2. The observation that some individuals may develop IBS suddenly, and for the first time, following an episode of stomach or intestinal infection (gatroenteritis) caused by a bacterial infection.3. recent evidence that a very low level of inflammation may be present in the bowel wall of some IBS patients, a degree of inflammation that could well have resulted from abnormal interactions with bacteria in the gut.4. The Suggestion that IBS maybe Associated with the abnormal presents, , in the small intestines, of types and numbers; a condition termed small bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)>5. Accumaliting evidence to indicate that altering the bacteria in the gut, by antibiotics or probiotics, may improve symptoms in IBS.For some time, various studies have suggested the presence of changes in the kind of colonic flora in IBS patients. The most consistent finding is a relative decrease in the population of one species of 'good' bacteria, bifidobacteria.However, the methods employed in these studies have been subject to question and other studies have not always reproduced these finding. Nevertheless, these changes in the flora, maybe primary or secondary, could lead to the increase of bacterial species that produce more gas and other products of their metabolism. These could CONTRIBUTE to symptoms such as gas, bloating and diarrhea.""We still don't know the exact role bacteria has in IBS. More research is needed."http://www.aboutibs.org/Publications/currentParticipate.htmlThen there is "Sugar IntoleranceAnother condition that can be confused with IBS is sugar intolerance; however, the role of fructose and sorbitol in the etiology of symptoms typical of IBS remains controversial. A high prevalence of sugar malabsorption has been observed in patients with IBS, although the benefits of restricting intake of the problematic sugars has been highly variable.[14,15] Gagliardi and colleagues[16] noted that the mean fructose intake in the United States is at least 37 g/d. They studied 15 healthy adult patients who consumed both 25 g and 50 g of fructose on separate days. Breath hydrogen testing was then conducted. The study authors observed that 50% of patients had hydrogen peak levels above 20 ppm with the 25-g dose of fructose, whereas 75% taking the 50-g dose had an abnormal hydrogen peak. This finding suggests that in the normal population a large number of individuals have fructose malabsorption. Furthermore, symptom scores were greater after both doses of fructose, although the higher dose did not increase the scores. Choi and associates[17] specifically assessed fructose intolerance in the setting of IBS. They studied 209 patients with unexplained bloating, altered bowel habit, and pain who were given either a 25-g or 50-g fructose challenge. It was observed that in patients receiving the higher fructose load, symptom scores were higher for diarrhea but not for other gastrointestinal symptoms. Overall, one third of patients with suspected IBS in this tertiary referral center appeared to have fructose intolerance. However, avoidance of fructose and symptom relief were not evaluated. Clinicians may wisely wish to consider prescribing a low-fructose diet as part of their initial management of IBS with diarrhea, but the benefits even among patients with coexistent fructose intolerance are as yet not established. "http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/444514Large consuptions of sugar and carbs in IBS can be problematic for a variety of reasons. There are also newer tests to see if any kind of bacteria is causing inflammation in the colon, by simple stool tests.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

also thisAdvances in Treatment ofIrritable Bowel SyndromePart 2: Novel Approaches to Treatment: Probiotics"Bacteria and Their Role in IBSDo the microflora in patients with IBS differfrom the microflora in healthy persons? Ourknowledge of this issue is still limited. Scientistshave not yet identified all, or even the majority,of the normal microflora in the gut, which makescomparison with the microflora in patients withIBS difficult. Evidence suggests that the adulthuman's intestine harbors a huge diversity ofaerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Approximately 103organisms per milliliter of luminal content are inthe small intestine, and 1011 organisms per gramcontent are in the colon.1,2 This intestinal microfloracomprises more than 500 different species andsubspecies. Recent studies using advanced molecularbiology techniques continue to identify newbacterial species, the majority of which (up to 80%)have not been cultivated.3"FYI PDF FormatExpert Insights: Y. Ringel, MD on Novel Approaches to Treatment: Probiotics http://www.expertinsightscme.com/pdf/IBS-Pt2-NL.pdfas well asPart 1: New Perspectives on Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment-Douglas A. Drossman, MD http://www.expertinsightscme.com/pdf/ATxofIBS2006Part1.pdf


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