Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Little Minnie gave me a clue about sulfur -- thank you Little Minnie!

Good suggestion. Unfortunately organic eggs didn't make a difference either.

Little Minnie suggested sulfur as a potential trigger. I did some research and found some rather interesting findings pertaining to ulcerative colitis with potential implications for IBS.

Sulfur in the diet comes in two forms (1) elemental sulfur found in some foods from plants and (2) in two amino acids (methionine and cysteine). Amino acids are the building blocks for making proteins. Sulfur amino acids are found in egg white.

In 1998 an article was published in the Lancet (see reference below) that reported success managing ulcerative colitis in four patiences by reducing the intake of sulfur in either form. Patients were given the following instructions:

"Intake of fats, sugar, and complex carbohydrates was not curtailed. We advised patients to completely avoid eggs, cheese, whole milk, ice cream, mayonnaise, soya milk, mineral water, and sulphited drinks (wine and cordials) as well as nuts and cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts); to diminish intake of red meat and to use chicken, fish, and skimmed milk." These foods are high in elemental sulfur and sulfur containing amino acids.

All patients improved. One patient was able to quit steroids. Of the other three, all had microscopic improvement of inflammatory changes. The number of bowel motions per day for all four chronic patients diminished from an average of 6 to 1�5 per day and their stools were more formed.

Since this study was published a few larger studies have confirmed these findings as possible. The most recent was in 2004. In addition there is a rat model for ulcerative colitis. These rats get bowel uclers similar to those found ulcerative colitis in humans when feed sulfur containing fiber while non-sulfur containing fiber had no effect.

The rationale behind sulfur as a problem for ulcerative colitis and perhaps other GI disorders goes as follows. Reducing sulfur consumption reduces the amount of sulfur entering the colon making the production of bacterial sulfide lower. Sulfur amino acids essential are required for cytokine production. Pro-inflammatory cytokines are believed to play a role in inflamed bowels. A recently published study found an increases serum levels of several pro-inflammatory cytokines in IBS patients. Also, sulfur plays a role in the production of hydrogen sulfide gas in the lumen of the human colon. Increased production of hydrogen sulfide gas is known to be correlated with increased constipation.

This is really interesting and it could potentially put a new twist in IBS management

References
Roediger, W. (1998). Decreased sulphur aminoacid intake in ulcerative colitis. The Lancet, 351(9115), 1555

Jowett, S. L., Seal, C. J., Pearce, M. S., Phillips, E., Gregory, W., Barton, J. R., et al. (2004). Influence of dietary factors on the clinical course of ulcerative colitis: a prospective cohort study . Gut, 53(10), 1479-1484

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