Increasing one’s physical activity routine can help improve symptoms among irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients, Swedish researchers report.

Vigorous activity can also help keep IBS symptoms from worsening among such patients, the researchers said.

The authors noted that IBS is a disease that affects between 10 percent to 15 percent of people around the world, and is typically characterized by abdominal pain/discomfort, constipation, diarrhea and bloating.

The current observations stem from a small study of 102 IBS patients between the ages of 18 and 65.

Over a three-month period, half of the participants maintained their normal lifestyle, while the other half was randomly assigned to increase their physical activity, with a suggested goal of moderate to vigorous activity three to five times per week for 20 to 30 minutes a session. Both groups received telephone support from a physiotherapist.

At the study onset and at the end of the three-month period, the participants ranked their IBS symptoms, including abdominal pain, stool difficulties and overall quality of life.

While the group that maintained their normal routine experienced an average 5-point drop in symptoms, those who increased their activity experienced much more dramatic symptom relief (an average 51-point decrease), the researchers noted.

What’s more, during the study period only 8 percent of the active group went on to develop worsening symptoms, as compared with nearly one-quarter of the maintenance group.

The Swedish team, led by registered physiotherapist Elisabet Johannesson from the University of Gothenburg, reports their findings online and in an upcoming print issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

(NaturalNews) Doctors who have been telling IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) patients that it's all in their mind will have to rethink that approach after scientists finally discovered the problem really does exist. Researchers at Munich's Technische University have located the cause of IBS and it is in the gut, not the mind. Specifically, it is the result of tiny inflammations in the mucosa of the gut, which upset the sensitive balance of the bowel.

Professor Michael Schemann's research team at the TUM Department for Human Biology demonstrated that micro-inflammations of the mucosa cause sensitization of the enteric nervous system, which in turn cause irritable bowel syndrome. The researchers used ultrafast optical measuring methods to demonstrate that mediators from mast cells and enterochromaffin cells directly activate the nerve cells in the bowel.

The hypersensitivity of the enteric nervous system upsets communication between the gut's mucosa and its nervous system. Project leader Professor Schemann explained: "The irritated mucosa releases increased amounts of neuroactive substances such as serotonin, histamine and protease. This cocktail produced by the body could be the real cause of the unpleasant IBS complaints."

The scientists are the first to identify IBS's cause; up to now, many doctors have dismissed their IBS patients as merely being hypochondriacs. Irritable bowel syndrome makes life miserable for those affected - an estimated ten percent or more of the population.

IBS can turn digestion into a nightmare. Common symptoms include stomach disorders, nausea, cramps, Flatulence, constipation and diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramps, sleep disturbances, headaches and backache. While the new research findings will almost surely lead to medicines and treatments to inhibit serotonin, histamine and protease, the findings could also help reinforce and narrow natural treatments for IBS.

Proper diet has been the foremost tool used against IBS. Eating properly for IBS can relieve and prevent both diarrhea and constipation, as well pain, gas, and bloating. This is best accomplished by avoiding foods that over-stimulate or irritate the colon and eating foods that soothe and regulate it. It is considered essential to strictly limit the amount of unhealthy dietary fats (the single most powerful digestive tract stimulant), eat soluble fiber consistently with every snack and meal, eliminate coffee, carbonated beverages and alcohol, be very careful with insoluble fiber, and avoid overeating. It is also important to avoid cigarettes, as tobacco wreaks havoc on the digestive tract.

The following list includes many potential dietary sources of trouble. Please note that, since individual tolerances for IBS triggers vary, you may find through experimentation that you have a higher degree of tolerance for some of these foods than others:

Red meat (beef, pork, lamb, etc.), poultry dark meat and skin, dairy products, egg yolks, fried foods, coconut milk, oils, shortening, butter, fats, solid chocolate, regular and decaffeinated coffee, alcohol, carbonated beverages, artificial sweeteners, artificial fats, and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

One food item that may be particularly beneficial is apples (with the hard to digest skin removed or else cooked). Apples contain malic acid, a substance that eases pain and inflammation. Apples also contain pectin, which helps remove toxins that may be causing stomach irritation as well as other problems.

Another item which could help tremendously is raw honey, especially a type of honey known as manuka honey. People have reported being able to conquer IBS completely with the combination of a good diet and taking a teaspoon of raw manuka honey dissolved in a cup of warm water three times daily on an empty stomach.
Other items which have been reported to be beneficial for IBS include:

* Digestive enzymes
* Ginger
* Colloidal silver