IBS Treatment: Is Bacteria the Missing Link?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is the most common chronic digestive condition with more than 60
million people coping with  abdominal pain, bloating, and altered
bowel habits, including constipation and diarrhea.

Dr. Mark Pimentel, Director of the Gastrointestinal Motility
Program at Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center,
has written a book entitled “A New IBS Solution:  Bacteria-The Missing Link in treating
Irritable Bowel Syndrome.”  Here he talks
about simple solutions to help people alleviate their Irritable Bowel (IBS) symptoms.

 On digestive enzymes:

Q) 
In your book, you discuss some of the advantages of taking digestive
enzymes.  What are some of those benefits,
and how do they relate to your assertion that IBS patients are suffering from
an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestines?

A) The basis for using digestive
enzymes in treating IBS is that I believe taking the enzymes will increase the
speed of digestion. The faster the food is digested, the quicker it is
absorbed. This leaves fewer available calories (or nutrients) for the bacteria
of the gut. With this reduced number of calories, the bacteria will likely
decrease in number. Typically, patients who take pancreatic enzymes report a
30% - 40% improvement in their symptoms.

On peppermint capsules:

Q) What are some of the reasons you
recommend peppermint capsules for your patients suffering from the effects of
IBS?  Is there a particular kind of
capsule that works more effectively?

A) Peppermint has been shown to be
a calcium channel blocker of the muscle because of its ability to block calcium
fluctuations in the muscle cells, thereby causing muscles to relax.  When taking peppermint, the muscles of the
stomach, small intestine, and colon are less likely to contract against gases,
reducing the sensations of high pressure (or cramping) in the abdomen.  To achieve the above benefits, the peppermint
needs to be enteric-coated to protect it from being broken down and digested
prior to reaching the important areas of the gastrointestinal tract.

On probiotics:

Q) We hear a lot about probiotics?
What exactly are they? There has been some research suggesting they may be
beneficial in improving motility and digestion.

A) Probiotics such as
lactobacillus and bifidobacteria provide relief to the severity of IBS symptoms
by stimulating the cleansing wave mechanism of the intestines.  In a double-blind study involving fifty
patients with IBS, test subjects received either the probiotics or a placebo
powder for a period of 28 days.  At the
end of the study, 49% of the probiotic group showed improvements in the level
of their abdominal pain, compared with 29% of the placebo group.  While probiotics have not been found to
eliminate IBS, the reduction of IBS symptoms is certainly a good outcome.

For further information:

Antibiotics as IBS treatment

Testing for small intestine bacterial overgrowth

 Dr. William Chey on IBS