Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is the most commonly diagnosed digestive disorder. It is characterized by abdominal pain and changes in stool frequency or form that may include diarrhea. The cause of IBS is unknown, but factors including sensitivity to stress and to certain foods may play a part, according to "The Family Medicine Handbook." The symptoms of IBS are also associated with wheat sensitivity, and wheat flour may aggravate IBS, notes Harvard Health. In addition to other dietary modifications, trying a wheat free-diet may offer some relief.
IBS
IBS is characterized by at least 3 months of continuous or recurrent symptoms of abdominal pain within a 12-month period. The pain is relieved by defecation or associated with a change in stool consistency or frequency. Patients often report alternating bouts of diarrhea and constipation, accompanied by abdominal bloating and excessive gas. It typically begins in your 20s or 30s. Your doctor will perform laboratory tests to exclude other more serious causes of abdominal pain, including inflammatory bowel disease and cancer.
Common Triggers
Foods, beverages and drugs have all been implicated as possible irritants in IBS sufferers, eliminating likely food triggers is a good place to start. These include caffeine, dairy products, alcohol, raw foods, fatty foods and sorbitol-containing products. Wheat products are also known to irritate some IBS sufferers, and because wheat sensitivity involves the abdominal pain and diarrhea characteristic of IBS, eliminating wheat from the diet is also recommended.
Wheat Sensitivity
Wheat sensitivity, also known as celiac disease, or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, is an allergy to proteins in wheat, rye and barley. Adults commonly experience diarrhea, excessive gas, weakness and bloating. Celiac disease can be diagnosed with a blood test,which is positive in 95 percent of disease sufferers. Wheat intolerance is a related condition that involves similar symptoms. However, wheat intolerance is not an immune reaction and is not diagnosed with a blood test. The first step is to eliminate wheat products from the diet and check for symptom relief.
Wheat Products
If you suffer the symptoms of abdominal pain and diarrhea associated with IBS, you may wish to avoid wheat products in addition to other common trigger foods. Harvard recommends eliminating these foods one at a time to accurately determine the culprit and wheat can be a good place to start. Cleveland Clinic advises to read labels carefully, as many processed foods contain wheat products. Even ice cream and ketchup may contain wheat flour. Other wheat products include bulgur, durum semolina, modified starch, starch, hydrolized vegetable protein, vegetable gum, enriched flour and bran.
References
- Cleveland Clinic: Special Diets for Food Allergies
- The Sensitive Gut: Harvard Health Report: Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- IBS-Life.com: A Wheat Allergy or Intolerance as a cause of IBS? A Wheat Free Diet may help.
- "The Family Medicine Handbook"; Mark A. Graber; 2006
