HARD TO STOMACH

Despite being a common condition, the cause of irritable bowel syndrome has proven tricky to find. Now researchers are beginning to understand what's going on in our guts... and the best ways to soothe them

- DR ANDY RIDGWAY

One in ten people suffer after eating a meal.

Instead of sitting back to relax while feeling sated, nourished and full, these people associate finishing a dish with stomach cramps, bloating and problems emptying their bowels (either too quickly or too slowly).

This suffering is caused by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and it's estimated that around 10 per cent of the world's population (possibly more according to some estimates) experiences it to some degree.

IBS is an unpleasant experience for anyone afflicted with it, and that tends to be more women than men. Yet for such a common condition, we know frustratingly little about what causes it and how to go about treating it.

There are plenty of suggestions for possible causes.

For example, some point towards a leaky gut, where toxins might pass through the intestine walls and into your bloodstream. Others cite changes in the gut microbiome, or 'visceral hypersensitivity', where the nerves in the gut become over-sensitive and send amplified pain signals to the brain.

But pinpointing the precise mechanism that causes IBS has, so far, been impossible. And without a known cause or any clearly identifiable biomarkers, there's no reliable test to confirm a diagnosis of IBS.

"A lot of people, when they first come to me, say: 'My doctor did all these tests and then said he doesn't really know what's wrong with me. Maybe it's IBS.' I can see they're disappointed," says Prof Alexander Ford, professor of gastroenterology at the University of Leeds.

But in the last few years, scientists like Ford have made big strides in IBS research that are providing new insights into the condition and possible treatments for it.

But the key to all of this is getting to the bottom of that so-far elusive underlying mechanism.

IDENTIFYING IBS