Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Diverticulitis and IBS are they the same?????????

Hi - IBS and diverticulosis are two completely different things, though the dietary guidelines for both are very similar. IBS is a dysfunction of the gut (enteric) nervous system, and that system's interaction with the brain. IBS is diagnosed by exclusion - bloodwork and exams like colonoscopies will all have negative results.

Diverticulosis is a physically detectable condition of the colon whereby small pouches of the colon bulge outward. If these pouches become inflamed, you then have diverticulitis. There's good info about this at web page

Diverticulosis is caused for the most part by a low fiber diet over many years. Soluble fiber will help keep diverticulosis under control, but you need to be very careful with insoluble fiber, as bits of it can get trapped in those pouches. So the IBS diet, with a foundation of soluble fiber and the very careful incorporation of insoluble fiber, is very suitable for diverticulosis as well.

People can also have both IBS and diverticulosis - but they're definitely not one and the same thing.

Best,
Heather

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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!

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