#ibs-awareness-month

#ibs-awareness-month

Jade Boden-de Mel first experienced 'unbearable' pain at 17 but says medics could not identify the cause and prescribed the contraceptive pill to manage it.

Gut bacteria are crucial to ensuring healthy digestion and defecation. But two species of bacteria may also be the cause of constipation: according to a new study, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and Akkermansia muciniphila appear to work in concert to break down colonic mucin, the slimy coating in our colons that keeps our poo moving along. Too little mucin means a drier and more constipation-prone colon.

Intermittent fasting within an eight-hour window can significantly reduce symptoms of Crohn's disease, a new study has found. Crohn's disease, according to the NHS, is a long-term condition where part of the gut becomes inflamed. It cannot currently be cured and the common symptoms include: diarrhoea, blood or mucus in your poo and stomach pain. Researchers at the University of Calgary found that time-restricted feeding can reduce disease activity by 40 per cent and halve abdominal discomfort in over 12 weeks in people living with Crohn's disease.