Irritable Bowel Sybdrome ( IBS ) is a disease with annoying symptoms but without any recognizable structural changes in the gut.  This is called Functional Disorder.  Even though about 15% of tue US population is suffering from IBS it remains poorly understood condition.  Possible causes of IBS:

1.  Food allergies.

2.  Lack of fibers.

3.  Refind sugars in our diet.

Therefore taking care of the problems above may give you the relief you need.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome ( IBS ) dietary suggestions:

1.  Elimination diet because food allergies may play the central role in the development of IBS (1,2).

2.  Increase uptake of cold water fatty fish likesalmon, herring, sardins and trout provided that it is low in mercury, PCBs and Dioxines.

3.  Increase the content if dietary fibers in your diet.  This is especially effective if you are suffering mostly because of constipation (3).  It is important to make sure that you age not getting wheat bran because wheat may be the allergen, that makes you sick.  Fibers from fruits and vegetables are the best.

3.  Avoid transfats, vegetable oils except olive oil, refind sugars (4), wheat, rye and oat.

Of course diet changes may not be enough.  Other underlying causes of your problem may be Hormonal Imbalance, neurotransmitter Imbalance, Toxins, Allergies and Infection.  To figure out what is going on you need to find a Functional Medicine Doctor to find the root cause of your problem and eliminate it.

Good luck!

References:

1.  Hollander.  Mucous colitis due to food allergy.  American Journal of Meical Sciences 1927, 174: 495 -- 500.

2.  Gay.  Mucous colitis complicated by colonic polyposis, relieved by allergic management.  American Journal of Digestive Diseases 1937, 174: 326 -- 329.

3.  Spiro.  Clinical Gastroenterology, edition 3 New York, McMillan, 1983:713 -- 735.

4.  Russo, Fraser, Horowitz.  The effect of acute hyperglycemia on small bowel motility in normal subjects.  Diabetologia, 1996, 39: 984 -- 989.