▎ WuXi AppTec content team editor
Just finished eating, going to the toilet?
Often after a meal, non-stop farting?
Didn't eat too much, but you had bloating and abdominal pain?
Often constipation or thinning, always feel that the stool is not clean?
Many people may often be plagued by these intestinal problems, and from time to time gastrointestinal discomfort occurs. These symptoms are also common symptoms and typical manifestations of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Irritable bowel syndrome is a functional bowel disease, that is, a digestive disorder resulting from the interaction of physical, psychosocial and social factors.
Currently, irritable bowel syndrome is the most common intestinal problem worldwide, affecting about 10% of people.
In addition to the above symptoms, patients may present with belching, changes in stool habits (frequency and timing), vomiting, anemia, weight loss, dysphagia, and prolonged abdominal pain.
Of course, the above symptoms alone are not enough to diagnose the disease. Doctors make a diagnosis and classification based on specific signs and symptoms, medical history, family history, and complementary tests (such as diarrhea, constipation, and mixed). If you suffer from the above symptoms for a long time, it is recommended to see a gastroenterologist.
So why does irritable bowel syndrome occur?
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Causes and triggers of irritable bowel syndrome
At present, the exact cause of irritable bowel syndrome is unknown. Possible precipitating factors include:
Abnormal muscle contraction in the intestine: the intestinal wall consists of several layers of muscles that contract as food is delivered. Contractions that are more intense and last longer than normal can cause bloating and diarrhea, and when bowel contractions are weaker than normal, they can cause dry stools.
Stress: Most patients experience worse or more frequent signs and symptoms as stress increases. And people with anxiety, depression, or other mental health problems are more likely to develop symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Changes in the gut microbiome: For example, changes in bacteria, fungi and viruses, the gut microbiome is usually present in the gut and plays a key role in human health. Studies have shown that the microbes in patients with irritable bowel syndrome may differ from those in healthy people.
Food: Studies have found that patients' symptoms are associated with certain foods. Many people experience more severe symptoms when eating certain foods or beverages. Examples include wheat, dairy products, citrus fruits, legumes, cabbage, milk and carbonated drinks.
In 2005, a team of researchers from Monash University in Australia found that a low-FODMAP diet can alleviate and control symptoms caused by intestinal problems.
What is a low-haired diet?
The low-FODMAP diet consists of the first letters of 6 words that represent several different kinds of carbohydrates, which are:
Fructose: Natural fructose is found in vegetables and fruits, such as honey, apples, etc.; it is also found in most processed foods, such as glucose syrup.
Lactose (Lactose): Natural lactose is found in milk, so yogurt, cheese and other dairy products contain high lactose.
Fructan: Natural fructans are found in foods such as wheat, rye, onions, and garlic.
Galacto-oligosaccharides: Naturally occurring in legumes.
Polyols: Common foods with polyols include apples, avocados, blackberries, apricots, cherries, nectarines, cauliflower, mushrooms, etc.; they are also commonly found in sugar-free processed foods, such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, polydex, and isomaltose.
Simply put, diffuse foods are fermentable sugars and sugar alcohols (carbohydrates) that are not easily digested and absorbed by the body, including oligosaccharides, lactose, fructose, and polyols.
The diffuse ingredients are hidden in the major foods we eat every day, some of which are higher and some of which are lower.
Although food itself is not a contributing factor to irritable bowel syndrome, some people with digestive problems experience bloating, abdominal pain, and diarrhea (or exacerbation of intestinal problems) after eating foods that are high and spreading.
The low-haired diet is to eat foods containing these carbohydrates during the intervention period, then re-eat suitable foods, and finally make adjustments according to their own situation.
Specifically, there are three stages of low-haired eating: the low-hair-spreading stage, the re-challenge stage of the food-making and the personalized adjustment stage.
Low diffuse stage: First of all, patients need to avoid all high-diffuse ingredients (do not eat the food mentioned above for the time being, and there are related APPS that give a detailed diet list), in order to avoid foods that may stimulate symptoms and find a state that minimizes intestinal symptoms.
Although high-frequency ingredients are not the cause of irritable bowel syndrome, most patients can feel relief in the first week of surgery.
Once you feel that the symptoms have stabilized, you can move on to the next stage.
Diffuse Ingredient Re-Challenge Stage: In stage 2, different categories of high-diffuse ingredients need to be added one by one with the mildest intestinal symptoms.
Test one food every 3 days, starting at 30 g at the time of the first test, if no discomfort occurs for 3 days, you can try to increase the amount of food (increase by 30 g each time), or introduce another food; if symptoms appear within 3 days, wait for the symptoms to subside before proceeding to the next round of testing.
In the process of adding ingredients one by one, we can determine which ingredient has less stimulation of symptoms and gradually add them to the diet, so that we can determine the irritants and tolerances for each person (find the specific factors that cause symptoms).
Personalized adjustment stage: Finally, after determining which types of foods will produce symptoms after eating, under the guidance of a dietitian or doctor, you can eat as rich a food as possible, expand the types of foods included in the diet, and help you control your symptoms by adjusting your diet. In this way, after eating, you will no longer have to worry about foods that will aggravate your symptoms.
It should be noted that although the symptoms of the low-diffuse diet will improve significantly after short-term execution, the long-term implementation of the low-diffuse diet will reduce the number of beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria in the intestine, and may also be nutritionally deficient due to the reduction of food types.
Therefore, the low-haired diet is used to observe your body's response to food and find ingredients suitable for your body, which is not a long-term dietary recommendation, but a dietary program for controlling symptoms and checking for irritants.
So can all people with uncomfortable intestines adopt a low-haired diet?
Suitable people and precautions for low-hair diffuse diet
Not all people with flatulence, constipation, or diarrhea are suitable for treatment with a low-hairy diet. People who eat a low-haired diet are:
After the doctor's diagnosis, there are no pathological intestinal problems: such as colitis, Crohn's disease, celiac disease and other intestinal problems.
Have good eating habits: eat a regular and balanced diet three times a day, know how to make diet records, and be able to consume enough dietary fiber and water, if you can cook your own meals, it is better.
Tried changing your diet with little effect: You've tried to quit foods that may cause symptoms, such as carbonated drinks, milk, noodles, etc., or you've tried probiotic supplements, but the symptoms persist.
It is best to have a professional practitioner to give guidance: find a registered dietitian or doctor who knows how to perform a low-haired diet to help you solve the problems you encounter when performing a low-haired diet, which can improve the success rate.
What problems do you need to pay attention to in the process of implementing a low-haired diet?
Successful low-hair diffusion adjustment takes time: In a complete low-difficile plan, including two stages of low-diffusion diet and re-addition of ingredients, it is expected to take at least 4 months.
So it is recommended that if you decide to start experimenting with the low-haired program, be prepared to "overcome the difficulties".
Success rates of low-diffuse diets: Studies have shown that up to 75% of people with irritable bowel syndrome can know what they are intolerant to and control symptoms by adjusting their diet after strictly implementing the entire dietary regimen.
Although the success rate is not 100%, it is also one of the most effective treatments at present.