IBS Awareness Month

April is IBS Awareness Month, so we wanted to shed some light on the condition. We asked our friends at NeoVos, who sell gut tests to measure the health of your gut, to give us a brief overview of IBS.

Although not as high profile as some other issues, it’s believed that one in five people suffer from IBS in the UK and on average, those who suffer will experience episodes six times a year.

Those who suffer from the condition may have a range of symptoms, including stomach cramps or pain, bloating, flatulence, diarrhoea, and/or constipation. Some may also have a range of other symptoms such as tiredness, headaches, trouble sleeping and needing to pee more often and urgently.

The cause of IBS is still a mystery and may be linked to a variety of things such as stress, genes, gut bacteria imbalance, and oversensitive nerves in the gut. Although the origin of the condition is still unknown and there is no cure, there is a range of advice on ways to relieve symptoms. These include cooking homemade meals from fresh ingredients, keeping a diary of what you eat to identify trigger foods, regular exercise and taking probiotics.

Other recommendations for sufferers are eating regular meals, drinking plenty of fluid, limiting fatty, spicy and processed foods, limiting alcohol, caffeine and fizzy drinks and trying a low-FODMAP diet.

If you think you’re are suffering from IBS, you should visit your GP.

If you would like to up your vitamin and nutrient intake, you can view our product range here.