IBS

Irritable bowel syndrome — a functional gut disorder causing chronic abdominal pain and irregular bowel patterns, without visible structural damage to the gut.

Not medical advice. Persistent digestive symptoms should be checked by a doctor first to rule out other conditions before assuming IBS. Elimination diets are best done with a dietitian.

What it is

IBS causes chronic abdominal discomfort, bloating, and irregular bowel habits — diarrhea, constipation, or alternating between the two — that meaningfully affect quality of life, even without any visible damage on a scope or scan.

The low-FODMAP approach

FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed and easily fermented by gut bacteria, producing gas, bloating, and discomfort in sensitive guts. A structured low-FODMAP diet — a temporary elimination phase followed by a careful, one-at-a-time reintroduction — improves symptoms in roughly 50–60% of people with IBS.

Research on which FODMAPs cause the most trouble points to fructans and mannitol as the most common triggers, followed by galacto-oligosaccharides, lactose, fructose, and sorbitol. Reintroducing one at a time is what actually identifies your personal triggers — going low-FODMAP forever, without reintroduction, unnecessarily restricts your diet.

Sources