Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Hi, Syl. Thanks for providing a link to this article. I did find it interesting, and it made me wish that more research was being done on water intake and IBS, not just water intake for the average, healthy adult. I tried to find additional references and studies on water intake by doing a search of medical journal databases, as well as a search of the information Heather provides on the IBS research board. Unfortunately, I just couldn't find sufficient evidence or conclusive studies regarding the effect of water intake on constipation or IBS.

The study that is cited in the article you provide doesn't do much to answer the question either. While it doesn't show that increased water intake noticeably affects BMs, it was a small study--only 15 participants, none suffered from constipation or IBS. Even the authors of the study seem wary of their results: "The authors warn that their results were obtained in healthy adults who did not complain of constipation, and that, therefore, the possibility remains that a high fluid intake might help relieve constipation in those who have it (11). However, inasmuch as the intestines have a large capacity for absorbing extra ingested water (63), the efficacy of a high fluid intake in relieving constipation needs to be proven by well-controlled scientific experiments."

Because IBS is still not fully understood by researchers or even specialists in the field, I think water intake must vary from person-to-person depending on symptoms, activity level, and thirst. I believed Heather's recommendation for increased water intake had to do with the SFS: "Together, fiber and water maintain gastrointestinal muscle tone, dilute toxic wastes in the GI tract, bind irritants, bring oxygen to the tissues, and help maintain the correct balance of intestinal flora....At a bare minimum, make sure you're drinking 64 fluid ounces (eight cups) of water each and every day, and aim for at least twice that amount. Many Americans are actually chronically dehydrated without ever realizing it, and this is a huge exacerbating factor (and sometimes even the underlying cause) for constipation. If you're on the opposite end of the spectrum and prone to diarrhea, you're at risk of losing too much water from your body too rapidly, and this can then result in dehydration. So no matter what your IBS symptoms, and whether they're flaring or in remission, please drink up!"

Like you, I would also like to have Heather explain where she got the data for this conclusion. However, I trust her recommendations because of her personal experience with IBS, her dedication, her common sense approach, and her consistency in providing references to scientific studies in her publications.

I think your questions are valid and just show how much more research needs to be done in the area of IBS.

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