Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Question on insoluble fiber and IBS-C

There have been a number of clinical IBS studies on the use of fiber. One of significant findings is that cereal bran doesn't improve IBS and in fact may exacerbate IBS symptoms. If you feel a piece of wheat bran compared to say an apple skin you will notice it feels different. There are a number of different types of insoluble fiber (e.g. cellulose, lignin, hemicellulose). The insoluble fiber in cereal bran has a different composition the insoluble fiber in many fruits and veggies.

You may find Heather's discussion in one of her newsletters Effect of Bran in Bloated Irritable Bowel Syndrome of interest. There is also a considerable amount of information on Heather's FAQ page. with statements like "Whole wheat, with its outer layer of bran, is high in insoluble fiber. This means that it's a trigger. That's why whole wheat bread, whole wheat cereals, and bran can cause such awful problems for people with IBS." This page has a good discussion of the problems and precautions you should use when eating insoluble fiber of any kind.

Below are to a couple of clinical IBS studies and the use of cereal bran with links to the abstracts. The first study which was the earliest in 1994 concluded "The results of this study suggest that the use of bran in irritable bowel syndrome should be reconsidered. The study also raises the possibility that excessive consumption of bran in the community may actually be creating patients with irritable bowel syndrome by exacerbating mild, non-complaining cases." The second study shows concluded that "Soluble and insoluble fibres have different effects on global irritable bowel syndrome symptoms. Indeed, in some cases, insoluble fibres may worsen the clinical outcome."

There is a fairly good discussion of soluble and insoluble fiber in the ezine article Soluble versus insoluble fiber and IBS

I hope this helps

References
Francis, C. Y., & Whorwell, P. J. (1994). Bran and irritable bowel syndrome: Time for reappraisal. Lancet, 344(8914), 39

Bijkerk, C. J., Muris, J. W. M., Knottnerus, J. A., Hoes, A. W., & De Wit, N. J. (2004). Systematic review: the role of different types of fibre in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome . Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 19(3), 245-251

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