Alcohol and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Is irritable bowel syndrome the scourge of modern society? It is most definitely one of the most often diagnosed digestive disorder and it is actually the most common condition of all seen by gastroenterologists worldwide. Modern medicine has not yet discovered the cause of irritable bowel syndrome but it is recognized that there are certain triggers and factors that are considered as being associated with the condition

These main factors are as follows:

1. Approximately half of all cases seem to occur after a major life changing event in the sufferer for example moving houses, changing jobs etc. when nervous tension seems to be at its highest.

2. Approximately 10-20 percent of sufferers report the occurrence of irritable bowel syndrome after contacting a severe bout of gastroenteritis where an infection in the stomach causes vomiting and diarrhea which seem to be the trigger for the disorder to flare up.

Alcohol and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

It cannot be said definitively that alcohol causes irritable bowel syndrome however it can quite easily contribute to it’s continuance. This is because alcohol is a very strong gastrointestinal irritant, and therefore will only result in making your symptoms even more heightened and increased.

Once you have contacted irritable bowel syndrome even a single alcoholic drink can bring on an attack. If you are a sufferer the best way to see if alcohol does aggravate your system is to stay off it for a while taking note of how your body reacts. IYou will probably note some improvement, should you wish to continue drinking, start off slowly don’t mix your drinks as you wont know what dring is causing the problem, whilst keeping a close watch on your bodies reaction. If the problem persists, then oyu have just got to stop all alcohol for as long as it takes to rid yourself of the irritable bowel syndrome.

Another area to watch is how you drink and what you drink. For example a glass of wine with your meal is not likely to agrivate your condition but consuming a few beers tends to bring on an attack. As consuming alcohol basically dehydrates your system it is a good idea to have a glass of water between drinks. For optimum hydration we should consume 8 pints of water per day . The dehydration caused by consuming alcohol has a definite affect on constipation and bloating suffered with irritable bowel syndrome.

As you can see alcohol and irritable bowel syndrome don’t go together well, this is only one step you should take to correct your condition. We are a product of what we eat and what we do, therefore it should be part of your treatment to correct your lifestyle. Firstly by cutting out all those fatty, sweet processed foods and go back to eating much more fresh fruit and vegetables and start a regular exercise regime, even if it is only walking for 30-60 minutes everyday. This combined with cutting back on your consumption of alcohol will definitely improve your overall health and your irritable bowel syndrome will subside and even disappear altogether.