What’s causing my diarrhoea?
Food Intolerance
Diarrhoea can be caused by intolerance of Fibre, Fructose and FODMAPS, click here to go to the food intolerance page.
Bile Acid Malabsorption
Bile acids are secreted from the gall bladder and are responsible for aiding the digestion of fat. They are normally reabsorbed in the ileum, the last few feet of small intestine. If the transit of food through the small intestine is abnormally rapid, as it is in most people with IBS diarrhoea, then not only is the volume of material entering the colon excessive, but it also contains abnormally high amounts of unabsorbed bile acid and fats, which are converted by the colonic bacteria into irritant compounds that stimulate peristalsis and secretion and cause diarrhoea. It is for this reason that bile acids have been called nature’s laxatives.
For more information, log in or register to become a member of The IBS Network, then click on the following links:
Intestinal Dysbiosis
Research has shown that many people with IBS Diarrhoea have restricted populations of colonic bacteria. This may cause diarrhoea by restricting Colonic Salvage. But it may also be the result of accelerated intestinal transit and diarrhoea flushing out colonic bacteria.
For more information, log in or register to become a member of The IBS Network, then click on the following links:
Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
Compared with the colon, the small intestine is a relatively sterile environment, but breath hydrogen tests showing an early peak in breath hydrogen caused by rapid fermentation of ingested sugars suggest the possibility of large populations of bacteria in the small intestine, which might degrade bile acids and fats and cause diarrhoea. The same early peak in breath hydrogen could however be caused by rapid small intestinal transit. In the few cases where small bowel contents have been aspirated and cultured, bacterial overgrowth has only been confirmed in a modest number of cases.
For more information, log in or register to become a member of The IBS Network, then click on the following links:
Post infectious IBS
In about 10% of people, an attack of gastroenteritis may be followed by persistent diarrhoea and abdominal pain. There is no sign of continued infection, but the symptoms can persist for months or even years. Research suggests that this post infectious diarrhoea is associated by a mild inflammation in the bowel and may be predicted by anxiety, depression or difficult life events occurring at the time of the original infection.
For more information, log in or register to become a member of The IBS Network, then click on the following links:
Could it be due to anything else?
An attack of watery diarrhoea that comes on rapidly, is associated with vomiting and fever and clears after a day or so may well be due to gastroenteritis or food poisoning or too much rich food or alcohol.
But diarrhoea that goes on for weeks or months is often caused by Irritable Bowel Syndrome, but may be caused by coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease) and rarely cancer, especially if you have red flag symptoms.
For more information, log in or register to become a member of The IBS Network, then click on the following links: What else could it be?
But many different foods and medications can cause diarrhoea, so ask yourself, did my diarrhoea start after taking a certain medication, did it come on after changing my diet, or was it triggered by change or stress?
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