Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: question about sugar??

Sugar seems to be becoming a somewhat volatile topic on the Board, so I was glad to see you say that we must all be our own experts. That certainly fits in with the advice I often see here to "listen to your gut". I don't think the correct test, though, is between eating lots of sugar and eating no sugar. "All things in moderation" is a good rule for most of life. I certainly don't think anyone will be harmed physically by eliminating sugar. Neither, however, do I think anyone will be harmed by consuming a reasonable amount of it.

My belief is that the real problem with sugar is that it can drive out foods that contain nutrients. In other words, in order to consume large amounts of sugar without becoming terribly obese, the consumer must give up eating other foods that provide vitamins, mineral, protein, and just about everything else the body needs. Keeping sugar to a moderate level allows room for those nutrients while satisfying a sweet tooth. One can have one's vegetables and eat one's cake, too.

As for IBSers specifically, I think consuming more sugar than might otherwise be considered "reasonable" is competely understandable, especially when first adjusting to the IBS Diet. First, it provides a way to get calories with no risk of triggering an attack. Although I do not have a calorie deficit problem (sigh), a number of people with this condition do. Second, it may well be psychologically important. Because the IBS Diet requires us to give up many familiar and well-loved foods, knowing we can have "treats" may make that process more palatable psychologically. Or as Linz put it more pithily, if sugar is what it takes to get stabilized, then "what the heck".

I could also make the argument that the IBS Diet probably actually cuts down on the amount of sugar we eat, even if we do indulge regularly in "sweet treats". Given the amount of sugar consumed in processed foods on a "normal" diet, cutting out so much of that food quite possibly eliminates more sugar than we add with the sweets consisent with the IBS Diet. As evidence I offer my own triglyceride numbers, which were consistently in the 250-300 range before beginning this diet and stood at 157 in January. And believe me when I tell you, I definitely indulge in sweet treats.

As for yeast, parasites, and unhealthy bacteria, I have not seen a discussion of yeast infections being a factor in, or masquerading as, IBS. I know parasitical infection can be mistaken for IBS, but as Linz says, that's a separate issue and can be resolved by appropriate testing and treatment.

When I first read about the possible relationship between bacterial overgrowth and IBS, I was quite taken with the idea, but later investigation made me less enthusiastic. My understanding is that this theory rests on a retrospective study of patients seen by physicians other than the bacterial overgrowth researchers. Because this was a retrospective study, it lacks the design and controls necessary to insure its usefulness. If there is a more carefully designed study on this, I would really like to see it.

I'm not sure how much of a sense of humor everyone has about this issue - sometimes I'm not sure how much of a sense of humor I have about it, but here's a quote that never fails to make me chuckle. I hope everyone else has the same reaction:

Just think of all those women on the Titanic who said, "No, thank you," to dessert that night. And for what! - Erma Bombeck

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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]

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