Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Questions about triggers

The symptoms from eating a trigger food can occur shortly after consumption to 1 day or so later. Also, some foods may not trigger symptoms until they have been consumed a few times in a row.

Over the past decade there has been considerable research into classifying foods that can cause bloating and gas triggering symptoms in individuals with functional bowel disorder like IBS. Recently clinical trials in the UK and Australia have tested a dietary management approach to manage functional bowel disorder such as IBS. This approach is called the FODMAP approach. You can read details of this approach in the first two links in my signature. Many of us on the board integrate the FODMAP approach with Heather's Eating for IBS diet with reasonable success. The clinical trials report that the FODMAP diet reduces IBS symptoms 70-80%. A large clinical trial is about to get underway in the US.

The FODMAP diet does not deal with common IBS triggers like caffeine, alcohol, insoluble fiber, high fat, etc. Heather's diet deals with these triggers exceptional well. The FODMAP diet assumes these types of trigger foods will be dealt with by the attending health care professional.

There are five FODMAP groups. Not ever one is sensitive to foods in all the groups. To determine which of the five groups one is sensitive to an elimination approach is used. This is explained in the articles.

FYI - in some instance the gastrocolic reflex can be triggered simply by the process of eating irrespective of what is eaten.

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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS

The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS

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