What causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

What is the cause of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and is it genetic?

"Sundin rules" (above) offers some poignant insights.

I am a healthcare professional and a lifetime sufferer with diarrhea predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). I now know it is a combination of the two conditions I discuss below.

IBS is a syndrome because the etiology (cause) is unknown. When you have chronic bowel problems that cannot be attributed to a known disease (cancer, inflammatory bowel diseases, etc.) then you get the 'syndrome' label. It is a label and NOT a diagnosis.

A large and growing body of recent research has found that many people labeled with IBS actually have undiagnosed Celiac Disease (CD). CD is a serious autoimmune disease (the body's immune system attacks and damages the small intestine). It is caused by an allergy to gluten/gliadin (proteins in wheat, rye and barley). Medical researchers now estimate that CD is present in 1 in 100 people, yet in the U.S. only 1 ind 3500 people are diagnosed. Therefore, about 97% of celiac patients are missed! Note: since the cause is known it is called celiac 'disease'.

Simple blood tests can identify CD in most patients with the disease. Some patients have negative (normal) blood tests but can be diagnosed by testing for antibodies in stool samples. The medical literature in recent years has had an explosion of articles attempting to educate doctors about CD. If your doc is not aware of it and/or has not tested you (some studies suggest 40-60% of patients diagnosed with IBS really have CD!), then you need to find a doc with current medical knowledge in this area.

Another common 'cause' of IBS is Intestinal Dysbiosis. The intestinal tract has 2-4 pounds of bacteria (microflora) living in it. There are 'good ones' and 'bad ones'. If the bad ones become dominant (normally the good ones keep the bad guys under control), then significant bowel problems can result. Antibiotics and antacids/acid inhibitors can cause an imbalance in your microflora (which is called Dysbiosis). Dysbiosis can be diagnosed by a Comprehensive Stool Analysis. This must be performed by a diagnostic laboratory that specializes in this test. It cannot be performed by your local medical lab or hospital lab.

If your doc has not already tested for these 'causes' of IBS, you need to find someone with better knowledge on this condition. Many Chiropractors, Naturopathic Physcicians, Certified Clinical Nutritionists (C.N.N.) and a few M.D.s with special training in CD or the field of medicine known as "Functional Medicine" may be able to help you.

A couple of good books on chronic bowel problems can be found at Amazon.com:
1) "Digestive Wellness" by Elizabeth Lipski, M.S., C.N.N.
2) "No More Heartburn" by Sherry Rogers, M.D. - don't let the title mislead you, this is an excellent book with lots of good/practical advice on gastrointestinal problems.

Good Luck!

There are many causes. It has been proven that the Atkins Diet DOES cause it, especially in women. Yes, there is a belief that there may be a predisposition to it. IBS appears to be a "cover all" label. It has many causes, quite a few of which are truly unknown.

The question you should be asking is what doesnt cause IBS as the list would be shorter. IBS is a gastrointestional disease that basically is used as a cop-out by doctors when they run a bunch of tests and everything comes up clear. At this point they match your symptoms to a list of almost 50 and if a few symptoms meet the *criteria* of Irritable bowel, it is then diagnosed as such. They say avoiding dairy products especially chocolate milk, also caffinated beverages. Fibre may help relieve it but there are 3 different types of IBS so you would have to see which form you have