15 Foods That Cause Constipation
Constipation can be a problem for people with irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. Foods that trigger constipation, and thus trigger IBS symptoms include:
- Bananas
- Chewing gum
- Caffeine
- Gluten
Constipation can be a problem for people with irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. Foods that trigger constipation, and thus trigger IBS symptoms include:
IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is a common disorder of the large intestine (colon) that causes symptoms of cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and/or constipation. Researchers and doctors do not know the exact cause of IBS, but they suspect that multiple factors, for example, foods, stress, hormones, or other illnesses combined with gut bacteria trigger abnormal bowel muscle contractions in the gastrointestinal (GI) nervous system.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term used to describe a group of inflammatory conditions mainly in the large and small bowels. The two most common types of IBD that occur are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, or UC. Other types of IBD include ulcerative proctitis, proctosigmoiditis, left-sided colitis, pancolitis, and acute severe ulcerative colitis.
Abdominal pain in IBS may be spread over a wide area of the abdomen, but it can localize in the lower left area of it. The pain may intensify while eating meals, when gas is present in the GI tract, and from abdominal bloating. A bowel movement may reduce the pain.
Abdominal pain in IBD may occur anywhere in the abdomen, and its location may suggest the type of IBD that you may have (for example, left-sided abdominal pain is a classic symptom of ulcerative colitis).
Initially, it is difficult for doctors to diagnose IBS and IBD because sometimes some of the symptoms are similar, for example:
Some people with IBS have IBS-D in which diarrhea is one of the primary symptoms or IBS-C in which constipation is one of the primary symptoms.
Symptoms unique to IBD (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) are more serious, and include:
Although some patients may show microscopic areas of inflammation in IBS, the causes are speculative and may include hyperreactivity to bacterial gut infections, accelerated or delayed transit of contents through the GI tract (diarrhea or constipation), and abnormal bowel contractions caused by triggers such as foods or stress.
The exact cause of IBD is not known. Researchers suggest the IBD types are caused by an immune system malfunction in the bowel tissue, with a genetic predisposition to develop IBD and the individual’s response to gut microorganisms.
Treatment for IBD includes anti-inflammatory drugs like aminosalicylates and corticosteroids, immune system suppressors (many types like azathioprine, cyclosporine, and methotrexate), and antibiotics (metronidazole or ciprofloxacin). Some patients may require surgery (removal of the entire colon and rectum or in others, removal of damaged segments of the small bowel).
Treatment for IBS is mainly diet, however, several drugs, for example, alosetron (Lotronex), rifaximin (Xifaxan), and lubiprostone (Amitiza) are approved to treat IBS.
Other medications may be used to reduce symptoms of either condition, for example, Tylenol, antiemetics, laxatives, and antidepressants.
An IBD diet is designed to reduce any bowel problems aggravated by food.
Recommendations include:
If you have irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease diet changes may be useful for patients with IBS, and especially IBD, to seek advice from a dietician.
There is no cure for IBD, but treatments can reduce symptoms. There are claims that IBS can be cured with treatments. Discuss treatments with your primary care doctor and your gastroenterologist.
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FODMAPs are foods that contain sugar alcohols and short chain carbohydrates. The gut can't digest them very well. There are "low" FODMAP foods and "high" FODMAP foods. Foods high in FODMAPs lay in the gut and ferment, which causes symptoms of:
Some people with digestive diseases and disorders, for example, IBS, microscopic colitis, IBD (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis), and other functional bowel disorders often are placed on a low FODMAP diet to decrease the amount of high FODMAPs foods in the diet, which create uncomfortable symptoms.