The value of including probiotics in your diet has been much discussed in recent times with many people in favour of this potential method of improving gut health. Now, a highly respected UK professional body has spoken out supporting their use to combat irritable bowel syndrome.
This announcement was part of a 2021 update to The British Society of Gastroenterology’s for clinicians who manage IBS.
The organisation confirmed to its members that probiotics are a recommended treatment for the general symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. As well as a potential method of alleviating the abdominal pain that often accompanies this widespread health condition.
We will look more closely at the experts' views on probiotics, IBS and gut health shortly, but first a quick reminder.
What is irritable bowel syndrome?
This medical condition is linked to the interaction between your gut, brain, and nervous system. If you have IBS there is a disturbance that interferes with your natural rhythm of bowel movements.
The causes of IBS are not yet clear, though it’s thought that diet and stress can impact on symptoms. It’s estimated that it affects 10 and 15% of the global population, and people with IBS can be any age, including children.
Get the full facts here
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is an unpredictable medical issue. Some people have mild issues with bowel movements, while others experience dishabituating problems affecting their physical and mental health, as well as an ability to enjoy a normal lifestyle and pursue a career.
Symptoms of IBS include abdominal pain and bloating, as well as diarrhoea and constipation, or a mixture of both.
Treatments are focused on pain management and supporting healthy bowel movements. Sources of help with IBS include naturopaths, who can help sufferers to manage the symptoms with nutritional balance.
What are probiotics?
Some foods contain naturally occurring yeasts and live bacteria, that can have a positive effect on the way you digest food and eliminate waste. They are often marketed as foods containing ‘good bacteria’ but there are many different types, and some are more beneficial than others.
There is growing evidence that some probiotics are highly effective at balancing out and boosting the vital bacteria present in the human gut, especially when you are ill or rundown.
According to the NHS: “There's some evidence that probiotics may be helpful in some cases, such as helping prevent diarrhoea when taking antibiotics, and helping to ease some symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).”
Research is underway to explore other health claims for probiotics, including their potential to influence skin health.
How can probiotics help with IBS?
The new support for probiotics for IBS was published by The British Society of Gastroenterology in the Gut section of the British Medical Journal (BMJ). This updated set of guidelines covers topics that include exercise, fibre and food elimination to treat IBS symptoms.
Though the organisation does not advocate for any particular strain or species, it states: “Probiotics, as a group, may be an effective treatment for global symptoms and abdominal pain in IBS.”
The gastroenterology experts go on to recommend that people with IBS try probiotics for up to 12 weeks, to assess whether there has been an improvement. If it proves ineffective, the organisation recommends stopping. Alternatively one might try a different strain, and always question your supplier to make sure the probiotic is present when consuming the probiotic, as this is a real art.
Their willingness to support this course of action is based on Randomised Controlled Clinical Trials (RCTs) they conducted into the use of probiotics to treat IBS.
More on nutrition and IBS
It is common for IBS management to revolve around a high fibre diet and lots of fluids. The recommendation is usually to increase your consumption of soluble fibre to treat IBS but avoid insoluble fibre such as wheat bran, which can make the discomfort worse.
Lifestyle adjustments such as eating regularly, and reducing alcohol, caffeine, food containing fats and highly spiced foods are also believed to help with IBS.
Interestingly, the new British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines also offered another potential dietary therapy for IBS.
They suggest treatment should include reducing simple sugars – officially referred to as FODMAP (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols). The view is that these are poorly absorbed by the gut, and can ferment, drawing in water and producing gas. A process that impacts negatively on gut function and worsens IBS.
This can be tricky to manage with processed foods, as different brands put diverse amounts of FODMAP quantities in well-known products.
Getting natural support for IBS
The above issues -including the impact of FODMAP, differing fibre types and experimentation with probiotics - reinforce the way a naturopath treats IBS. They develop a diet relying on natural and self-healing foodstuffs.
This may well include focusing on Dysbiosis, which is an imbalance in the naturally occurring microscopic organisms in your body (including your gut), which can lead to various forms of ill health.
A naturopath can also provide you with plans that either increase or eliminate certain foods – including probiotics - to find a combination that works best in managing your IBS symptoms.
Finally, the connection between probiotics and healthy gut organisms is also supported by the European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (ESNM). Its President said in a press release: “Thanks to new diagnostic insights and a rapidly growing knowledge about the role and function of the microbial communities living inside our guts, our view on IBS and its causes has changed considerably.”
More reinforcement of that fact that improving your gut’s checks and balances – through improved nutrition – is supported by both the medical and alternative health communities.
Additional sources:
https://gut.bmj.com/content/70/7/1214
