Health

3 diet and health tips for someone struggling with IBS

Published

1 year ago

September 20, 2024

3 diet and health tips for someone struggling with IBS

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a digestive condition that can cause substantial discomfort in those who have it.

Medical professionals use the common symptoms associated with the disease as a driving factor in diagnosis and can help patients formulate a plan that prevents IBS from negatively impacting their quality of life.

While there is no cure for IBS, there are plenty of adjustments to diet and behavior that can be implemented that have proven to be successful in easing symptoms.

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Read more about IBS diagnosis and symptoms below.

How is IBS diagnosed?
How do you fix IBS?
Does IBS go away?

If you have persistent digestive concerns, talking through symptoms with your doctor can help you reach a diagnosis. (iStock)

1. How is IBS diagnosed?

There is no single test that is done in order to diagnose IBS.

Rather, doctors diagnose IBS by talking through the symptoms a patient is experiencing.

“We make the diagnosis mainly based on symptoms, and there are criteria called the Rome criteria, which were developed by a worldwide group of experts in classifying disorders of gut brain interaction,” Dr. Laurence Bailen, chief of gastroenterology and hepatology at Newton Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Massachusetts, part of the Mass General Brigham system, told Fox News Digital in a phone interview.

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“Everybody with irritable bowel syndrome needs to have abdominal pain as one of their main symptoms and associated with abdominal pain, they’ll have disorders of the function of the intestines,” Bailen continued.

“They’ll either have constipation or they’ll have diarrhea, or there’s a group of patients who have a mixture between both diarrhea and constipation that alternates.”

If you are experiencing prolonged digestive issues that are impacting your overall well-being, it is vital to speak with a doctor and begin to find answers as to why these problems are occurring.

IBS is typically diagnosed based on a patient’s symptoms. (iStock)

2. How do you fix IBS?

There are many different ways to help ease IBS symptoms.

The main ways to treat IBS can be broken down into three different categories: diet and lifestyle adjustments, behavior modification and medications, according to Bailen.

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“From a diet standpoint, one of the main diets that has been recommended and shown to be beneficial in people with IBS in clinical studies, is what’s called the low FODMAP diet and that’s an acronym for fermentable, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols,” Bailen said.

“These are basically food substances. There’s fruits, vegetables, artificial sweeteners, certain gluten-containing foods, that have been shown to be more difficult to digest and absorb,” Bailen continued.”By eliminating those types of foods, and focusing on foods that have lower FODMAPs in them, that has improved symptoms of abdominal discomfort and bloating that are very typical for IBS.”

Beyond diet, there are other lifestyle changes IBS patients can make to help ease their symptoms.

For those with IBS, a shift in diet can help uncomfortable symptoms subside. (iStock)

This includes practices known to alleviate stress, such as acupuncture, meditation and yoga, as well as speaking with a therapist, Bailen said.

In conjunction with diet and lifestyle changes, those with IBS are typically prescribed medication, which will coincide with what the individual’s primary symptom is, Bailen added.

3. Does IBS go away?

IBS is a condition that usually remains with individuals for their lifetime.

Typically, IBS is spotted at a younger age, commonly seen in people in their teens through their 30s, Bailen said.

For those older IBS patients, Bailen said they’re typically diagnosed later because they were living with IBS, without consulting a doctor.

Practicing mindfulness through yoga and meditation can help alleviate common IBS symptoms. (iStock)

While there are commonalities among IBS patients, the condition affects each person a bit differently.

For example, when it comes to food sensitivities, not all IBS patients suffer from the same ones.

“There are some patients who can tolerate foods that are on a low FODMAP diet, and other patients who just can’t at all, so it’s very variable,” Bailen said.

While each patient’s experience will be a bit different, there are foods on a general scale that those with IBS should try to avoid.

“In general, though, avoid foods that have a high fat content,” Bailen said.

“So any fried foods, oily, greasy foods are usually tolerated poorly, just because those foods in general, are more difficult for our guts to digest and absorb. Other foods that tend to be a big problem can be artificial sweeteners.”

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“Finally, lactose intolerance is really common and is the most common acquired food intolerance,” Bailen added.

“It also can exacerbate underlying symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.”

Ashlyn Messier is a writer for Fox News Digital.

Health

Common nighttime noise exposure may trigger heart problems, study suggests

Published

1 hour ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Common nighttime noise exposure may trigger heart problems, study suggests

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Living near heavy traffic could negatively impact your heart health.

A European study, published in the journal Environmental Research, found that exposure to nighttime road traffic noise is linked to changes in the blood, leading to worsened cholesterol and cardiovascular risks.

The researchers considered data from the U.K. Biobank, Rotterdam Study, and Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, including more than 272,000 adults over the age of 30, according to a press release.

Nighttime road noise exposure was estimated at all participants’ homes based on national noise maps. Researchers also took blood samples to measure the participants’ metabolic biomarkers for disease, then mapped the link between nightly noise levels and existence of biomarkers.

Exposure to loud noise was associated with increased concentrations of cholesterol-related biomarkers. (iStock)

The study found that people exposed to louder noise at night — especially sounds above 55 decibels — showed changes in 48 different substances in their blood. Twenty of these associations “remained robust” throughout all cohorts.

Exposure to loud noise was associated with increased concentrations of cholesterol-related biomarkers, especially LDL “bad” cholesterol, IDL (intermediate-density lipoprotein) and unsaturated fatty acids.

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As noise levels increased, starting at around 50 decibels, cholesterol markers rose steadily, the release stated.

The authors concluded that this study “provides evidence that nighttime road traffic noise exposure from 50 dB upward is associated with alterations in blood cholesterol and lipid profiles in adults.”

Researchers noted a link between traffic noise and cardiometabolic disease. (iStock)

Study co-author Yiyan He, doctoral researcher at the University of Oulu in Finland, noted that in this type of research, small effect sizes are expected, and environmental exposures such as traffic noise are “typically modest.”

SIMPLE NIGHTLY HABIT LINKED TO HEALTHIER BLOOD PRESSURE, STUDY SUGGESTS

“Despite this, we observed statistically robust and consistent associations across many biomarkers, especially those related to LDL and IDL lipoproteins,” she told Fox News Digital.

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“We also identified a clear exposure-response pattern starting at around 50 dB, suggesting that metabolic changes become more evident as noise levels increase.”

This aligns with public health guidance, as the World Health Organization recommends lower nighttime noise limits at around 40 to 45 dB, Yiyan He added.

“This finding may clarify the association between traffic noise and cardiometabolic diseases,” the researchers wrote. (iStock)

“The 55 dB level is often used as an interim benchmark associated with substantial noise annoyance and sleep disturbance,” she said. “In our study, we observed associations not only at 55 dB, but also indications of effects emerging at around 50 dB.”

The strength and consistency of the cholesterol-related associations were surprising, as these changes are usually “subtle.”

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“Instead, we found consistent associations across multiple large European cohorts, which strengthens confidence that the findings may reflect real biological patterns,” Yiyan He went on. “We were also interested to see that effects were minimal below ~50 dB, suggesting a possible threshold-like pattern.”

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The researcher noted that these findings were consistent across genders, education levels and obesity status.

The study was restricted to White Europeans, which posed a limitation. There was also a lack of information on the fasting status in the UK Biobank.

Changes in cholesterol levels were more severe than researchers expected. (iStock)

“Fasting can influence levels of certain metabolites, particularly fatty acids,” Yiyan He said. “However, based on UK Biobank documentation, fewer than 10% of participants were fasting for at least eight hours, and our main findings focused on cholesterol-related biomarkers, which are generally less sensitive to short-term fasting.”

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The researchers also lacked information on bedroom location, indoor noise exposure and time spent at home.

“These factors may introduce non-differential exposure misclassification,” Yiyan He said. “Additionally, noise exposure estimates were based on participants’ temporary residential addresses at the time of blood sampling, without considering the duration of residence.”

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“Many of these limitations would tend to bias results toward the null, so the consistent associations we observed remain noteworthy.”

Experts recommend taking measures to limit traffic noise at night. (iStock)

Based on this latest research, Yiyan He noted that nighttime noise is a “health-relevant exposure,” not just “an annoyance.”

“Our findings suggest that nighttime traffic noise may subtly but consistently affect metabolic health,” she said. “While the changes in cholesterol and lipid levels for any one individual are small, traffic noise affects a very large number of people, which means the potential public health impact could be substantial.”

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The researcher recommends taking measures like improving sound insulation, using noise-reducing strategies and placing bedrooms on the quieter side of the home when possible.

“Because sleep is a key pathway linking noise to health, protecting the nighttime sleep environment is especially important,” she added.

Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle reporter for Fox News Digital.

Health

The Best Time To Drink Coffee for Weight Loss and a Faster Metabolism

Published

12 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

The Best Time To Drink Coffee for Weight Loss and a Faster Metabolism

The Best Time To Drink Coffee for Weight Loss and Fat Burn | Woman’s World

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