The complicated symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome make this condition challenging to treat. Controlling bowel spasms, bloating, diarrhea or constipation requires modifying your diet to include nourishing foods that won't irritate a sensitive colon. The probiotic bacteria in yogurt may help digestion, relieve gas and correct the altered bowel patterns of IBS. If you can't tolerate milk, probiotic yogurt may provide a source of calcium that also helps normalize your bowel movements.
Theories/Speculation
Researchers have presented different theories to explain IBS, a condition that may affect as many as one in five Americans. One theory proposes that a bacterial infection in the digestive tract may cause IBS, which suggests that probiotic foods such as yogurt with live cultures might restore the beneficial bacteria that fight infection. Although research on the effects of probiotic foods on IBS has been promising, results have been inconclusive.
Symptoms
If you have IBS, you may suffer from diarrhea alternating with constipation, along with abdominal cramping, bloating and flatulence. Muscle spasms in the colon affect the amount of water released into stool and make bowel movements irregular--stools may be hard and small, or watery and copious. If a sensitivity to milk products triggers the bowel spasms and diarrhea caused by IBS, probiotic yogurt may be a more tolerable substitute.
Benefits
By definition, probiotic bacteria offer a health benefit to their host. The probiotic bacteria in yogurt help restore the colonies of beneficial flora that occur naturally in the human gut. Lactobacillus, bifidobacterium and other species used to ferment yogurt produce enzymes that assist with digestion and create a hostile environment for pathogenic bacteria. More research is required to confirm that probiotic foods have a positive effect on IBS or other digestive disorders.
Research
Dairy products fermented with probiotic cultures may help relieve IBS-related constipation. In a study published in "Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics" in 2007, researchers found that milk fermented with probiotic bacteria improved IBS symptoms in a group of study participants who reported frequent constipation. Participants who consumed milk fermented with the yogurt starter culture Bifidobacterium animalis twice a day for six weeks reported an improvement in abdominal pain, bloating and gas, as well as increased stool transit time.
Considerations
In some cases, probiotic yogurt may actually increase gas, bloating or diarrhea. Because food sensitivities in IBS are highly individualized, use caution in adding yogurt or other probiotic foods to your diet. Report any intensification of your symptoms or adverse changes in bowel patterns to your health care provider.
References
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- National Center for Alternative and Complementary Medicine: An Introduction to Probiotics
- Wiley Online Library: Effect of a Fermented Milk Containing Bifidobacterium animalis DN-173 010 on the Health-Related Quality of Life and Symptoms in Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Adults in Primary Care
