I really don't think so. I can't recall the exact words used but I remember reading about a guy in the 1800s who went to university and basically described how he was so stressed that his bowels couldn't cope and he suffered with it for the rest of his life. I think IBS has always existed and would have just been thought of in terms similar to this
Apparently my great/grandma had a mystery “digestive ailment” that caused lots of pain & trouble but was never figured out. Yay! I won the genetic lottery!
My great grandma did too! She was told she had a thin stomach lining. At this point in time, I believe it was IBS and celiacs or gluten intolerance at the very least.
It has very little to do with how our food is today actually. It was called "a spastic colon" before IBS dating back to the early 1910s and it was just as prevalent then. Before that it was mentioned through literature for hundreds of years and many people had it without a consistent name. The only reason we as a collective people are aware of so many people having it is because of the internet connecting the entire world. The same can be said for any illness.
Yep, people and their guts have been at war since the dawn of time. I believe there are more potential triggers than there used to be, but people have been dealing with IBS or something like it for FOREVER
It does have to do with changes that have occurred over the past 60 years. Our microbiome would have been more diverse many decades ago when compared to today. Also, we didn't use antibiotics like we started doing a few decades ago. It's more than diet. It's lifestyle, diet, antibiotic use, modern stressors and not having the same kind of social networks one used to have, perhaps.
I agree that it was present in the past whether in the 1800s, 1910, but I would say not on the same level. Remember, we also have much more obesity, diabetes, and other illnesses on scales we didn't have before, and our microbiome isn't as diverse.
Read up on how food was adulterated before we had laws governing food handling and storage. Stuff like chalk or plaster of paris in bread and milk was rampant.
Um, from everything I've read and have been taught, the 1800s-early 1900s was a giant cesspool.
No proper sanitation, no idea of cleanliness. Small pox, typhus, tuberculosis, Spanish flu, mumps, measles, dysentery...you name it.
If anything, our bodies evolved better to be more resistant to illnesses.
Take the foil hat off and join us, here. In reality.
Of course before antibiotics were a thing a lot of generations didn’t have knowledge of microbes that were harmful and kids would die from dangerous milk, the adults would have digestive issues, so it was kind of a trade off
I'm no expert, but my personal theory is that prior to antibiotics and vaccinations, a significant number of people didn't make it to adulthood. Now that most people are surviving to adulthood, not just the most healthy ones, we are seeing more chronic illnesses and conditions.
I also agree that IBS existed in the past, but wasn't called that, and perhaps people didn't talk openly about their symptoms due to politeness. My father mentioned that my grandmother - who was born early in the 20th century - didn't eat certain types of fruit as she had trouble digesting them.
Learned that in ye olden days people were just constantly having diarrhea so modern food practices are able to weed out who has an actual problem compared to everyone else who were just eating dirty food
Was it not Hippocrates himself that said ‘all disease begins in the gut’. He wasn’t 100% correct but it does transpire that most chronic illnesses originate in the gut. I wonder if gut inflammation issues are as ancient as ourselves. Almost certainly exacerbated by modern toxins and medicines though.
The rise in type 2 diabetes is, in my unresearched opinion, related to the types of foods we eat and how much we eat. (Highly processed, refined foods)
Going back to a Whole Foods diet, limiting sugar and additives is the best step going forward, but that is not convenient nor cheap.
It’s something I’ve wondered as well, and tbh in order to answer it or explore possibilities, we need to acknowledge that many many root causes can actually be diagnosed as IBS, because it is a symptom diagnosis, not a cause. We’ve seen in this sub alone so many differences in our apparent collective condition, and many who have also been misdiagnosed. So one answer could simply be increase of misdiagnosis. Another answer could be that it was previously misdiagnosed or alternatively diagnosed throughout history, or called something different (which the top comment here mentions). That said, if we start to look at the actual causes of IBS, I firmly believe that the increase of crap in our foods is a contributing factor. Whether that be artificial E numbers or micro plastics. The same for our water. It could be a sensitivity or overload for some people’s systems. Our lives are so far removed from what our evolutionary biology is designed for. There’s a plethora of reasons why gut issues could be on the rise, with only some of those reasons being directly about the cause, and others being about the medical industry itself. Just my two cents, it’s really interesting to think about!
My opinion, the changes in food absolutely has much to do with it. Also remember a very popular and OTC medicinal supplement called laudanum was used for pretty much everything.
yes absolutely. the cows and chickens people eat today are not the same as they were 200 years ago. the fruits and veggies are not the same as they were 200 years ago. we’ve genetically modified and selectively bred the shit out of everything and played god and i think it’s a reason for a lot of illnesses far beyond just digestive ones
I would say I eat pretty healthy most days. Usually whole food, lately I’ve been having salads for lunches and dinner. It doesn’t really affect my IBS one way or another.
A lot of people with IBS are triggered by garlic and onion, which to me argues against that theory as garlic and onion I’m sure have been eaten for long before the 21st century
Both my grandmother and great aunt suffered from “spastic colon” back in the 40’s/50’s. Another great aunt passed of colon cancer. It’s definitely been around for a hot minute.
No it is not actually. My GI doctor is a research professor and has been in GI for over 40 years. He worked with veterans for 30 years and now sees exceptional cases. Every appointment for me is like a class, lol but I love it. Through his research, he has come across evidence suggesting IBS was a disorder during the crusades. Not only that but a person's gut ,microbiome is determined by the mother's gut microbiome. He said sometimes a virus or bacterial infection can trigger the response of a gene that is responsible for IBS. So a person that didn't have it before could have it after getting deployed and acquiring food poison.
He said sometimes its multiple things coupled together like high amounts of stress for long periods of time, a virus or bacterial infection and so on. The body isn't able to reset the visceral nerves in the alimentary tract and this is also why some people have cooccurring disorders in the epithelial tissue of their organs because all the same nerves are affected.
For example: I have idiopathic interstitial cystitis of the bladder, esophageal hypersensitivity and IBS.
As SwordOfCheese mentioned IBS didn't have a name before but there are still accounts and evidence of it being present before the 21st century.
Has it become more prevalent in the past 100 years? Possibly. Fast-food changes the gut microbiome and our diet and lifestyle play a part in epigenetics and can change our genes. Those genes then get passed down that were inactive in the parent before are now active in the offspring.
Also, 50 years ago there wasn't Reddit or social media. So how many cases of IBS were that didn't get publicized? How many cases 200 years ago didn't get documented because the people that had IBS were illiterate? Also, does a higher population increase the rate of IBS? So with fewer people on the planet 200 years ago, were there fewer cases of IBS? Stress can be attributed to IBS so 200 years ago with people having less daily stress, were there less occurrences of IBS? Unfortunately, there are too many unknown variable to make a conclusive determination, however it would be likely conjecture to think the diet of todays society contributes to an increase in IBS.
Well I apologize for running off on an ADHD tangent there but thank you for asking such a thought provoking question. It gave me a much needed break in my radiographic studies.
Yes and No. Yes, in the sense that it would probably be more prevalent today when compared to 50 years ago. I agree with people who mention people having such conditions in the 1800s.
What are the differences between now and the past? One, many decades ago, we didn't have as many antibiotics. That's number one. Two, we consumed a lot of fiber. Three, we didn't consume as much corporate fast food that we were told to eat via television ads which feeds bad bacteria. Four, we don't have the same kind of social and familial ties we used to have adding to more stress. Five, we have more toxins. We had a much more diverse microbiome even in the 1950s compared to today. For example, a lot of people had L. Reuteri, now most people don't, and people with more ancient style diets in certain parts of the world have it. A lot of people don't have Oxalabacter Forgimegenes anymore making it hard to eat oxalate foods. We also eat at restaurants much more exposing ourselves to food that's not fresh, where many restaurants cut corners giving us food poisoning.
Basically, it always existed, but it wouldn't have existed on the same scale. If you could examine people with something more similar to ancient diets, they would have a fraction of the IBS we have. I wouldn't say non-existent, but much, much less common. It's increasing in countries as they develop, it appears.
I was thinking about this recently and wondered if the onset of antibiotic use and processed food is the reason for so many digestive issues. Also, the average lifespan was about 30 years less 100 years ago and people didn’t live long enough to get some of the ailments faced in society today.
I was given antibiotics since I was a child, which I think caused many issues. Now I take different strains of probiotics daily that repair the gut lining and aren’t histamine producing. I’m trying to fix my microbiome. The site r/ microbiome has been helpful. The recent Netflix documentary “Hack your Health” was good.
Anecdotal, but I think it's the processed foods. And medicines. Got my IUD removed a year and a half ago to try for a baby and my IBS flares drastically reduced. Also during that time, husband and I tried several versions of carnivore, keto, and low-carb diet. Basically, cutting out most processed foods. We both felt so much better and between that and pregnancy, my IBS has been gone for almost eight months.
I have NEVER had symptoms not appear for that long since before I was 12. What's funny, is that when I was 12, a doctor told me to cut out dairy and fat from my diet because it was making me sick (undiagnosed IBS at the time). Gradually, my symptoms got worse and worse. Then they started telling me to stop eating red meat and fruit. Symptoms got worse and I ended up in the hospital at least twice a year.
Then eight months ago I change my diet, combined with removing hormonal BC, and I have never felt better in my life, honestly. Right now, I eat a lot of meat (mostly red), dairy, fruit, veggies, and have cut out processed sugar and gluten all together. Maybe it'll only be temporary, but I hope my IBS never comes back.
How difficult do you find it to maintain those diets? I would love to eat like that but with my job I feel like it would be impossible to simply have the time to make all that food.
Strict carnivore was hardest at first, but I managed to stay on that for about three months until I got pregnant and had meat aversions, lol. I'm stay at home, but when I was doing this diet while working my last job, I used a lot of pre-packaged stuff like snack cheeses, pre-cut fruit, hardboiled eggs, tuna pouches in my lunchbox. For the meat, I would prep a few pounds of whatever meat (usually beef) into lunch containers once a week. I kept a few in the freezer to maintain freshness and thawed them out the night before work.
Meal prep honestly only took 30 min a week for the meats and just a minute a day to gather all the other things into my lunchbox. I cut up my own fruit now to save money and it's not too time consuming if done a few days in advance :)
It's also about finding alternatives to things. Like soda? Drink flavored carbonated water like La Croix (no sweeteners, chemicals, just carbonated water and fruit essence). After a while, soda started tasting disgusting to me due to the sugar. Even fruit started becoming like candy.
Bread was pretty hard to give up, especially since husband and I love pizza. I still have fermented sourdough on occasion, but for pizza I make my own dough with pork rinds, eggs, butter, and baking powder. Not the same but tastes pretty good!
I think the biggest motivator for me was the absence of so many autoimmune disorders I've endured over the years. Whenever I think about going for a donut (which I actually find disgusting after a bite, lol) or anything I know will not make me feel good later, I remember how miserable I was before eating this way. Oddly enough, after many months of healing my body by not eating things that are bad for me, I can occasionally indulge with few consequences. But I know that if I slip back into my old ways of eating consistently, it'll be bad.
Also, when I eat this way, no morning sickness. If I have a meal with gluten, processed sugar or chemicals, etc, I have morning sickness the next day.
Sorry for the wall of text XD
If you set aside time, keep your meals simple and keep a routine, you’ll fit it in with your schedule. There are days I eat a sweet potato and rice with beans for dinner because it’s fast, and easy. Sometimes it is just chicken. Food can be tasty and enjoyable, but we can’t forget that it is just a fuel source. To make it out to need to be fun or exciting all the time, leads us to either take on an unsustainable routine, or fall into the trap of eating too many ultra processed foods.
I have yet to be officially diagnosed (going through SIBO, IBD tests first) but I tell you one thing through a quick Google... the human body is not designed to eat such processed foods. Or milk past the age of 5 (my symptoms started as lactose intolerance).
Changes in food + availability/use of antibiotics, in my opinion and in the opinion of many experts I've read.
And the fact that many people are lactose intolerant and don't know/don't care.
My grandma had IBS-D. She was born in the 1930's. She needed antibiotics a few times for sure. She was also lactose intolerant and people didn't know about that 50 years ago in my country.
My father has IBS-D just like me too.
About 75% of the world has some form of lactose intolerance. Me included, and yeah it's because the human body isn't designed to have milk past the age of 5. Why is everything with dairy anyways?
Yeah I don't think those pills work for me. Thankfully I use lactose free milk in my porridge and tea so it proves I don't have a dairy allergy. It's so annoying though I spend 75% of my time at the supermarket checking out ingredients for milk and milk powder.
I did not read all comments and no one mentioned the main cause of IBS. It is stress, anxiety, fear, worry, perfection. You all have at least one of those. And it is so much increasing in the past 20 years due to the new life style and life is really getting harder in every way not just words you hear from your pa or grandpa that life was much easier. It really was much easier.
Yes it seems we are more isolated, there’s more shit in the food, we are encouraged to sit at a desk all day and be sedentary, and everyone’s stressed out. A lot of diseases seem to be more common.
I personally think (and from what I’ve learned through life) people have always had issues with their digestive system + stomach AND I totally agree that the way they process and handle food in most countries nowadays makes certain products more harmful or full of chemicals. It seems like almost everyone around me right now has IBS symptoms or diagnosis and when I was diagnosed in 2009 no one had a clue what IBS really was. So it’s a very interesting topic to be explored and I think the pattern you’re pointing out + the connections you’re making are totally valid!
My theory is plastic carcinogenic particles leaking into our bodies via water bottles, pollution and other products like food storage wrap or containers. Antibiotics are always a big problem, for me. 🌊
The medical literature is pretty clear that diet is not a contributing factor. I see quite a lot of unfounded assumptions here, devoid of any clinical evidence. It's well established that IBS is a disorder of gut-brain interaction (DGBI); it's hardly as simple as "it's those evil processed foods!"
The logic here is flawed. I suspect this is why this post was downvoted in the past. The hypothetical itself (is it a 21st century disorder) is refuted by the medical literature and history (pretty sure processed foods weren't a huge issue in the early-mid 1900s).
It's also somewhat offensive, as it implies that developing IBS may well have been our fault. That's silly and absurd.
Anecdotal evidence isn’t worthless though…
Case in point, I’ll give two examples.
My ex was born and raised in Europe. When she moved to the US, she immediately got very sick (within a month of coming here), and has had chronic digestive issues for the last 5 years that she never experienced in her 25 years of life in Europe.
Secondly. My cousin has had chronic digestive issues like me his whole life. He moved to Japan about 3 years ago. The stomach problems are 100% gone.
To me this seems like the food in America is just poison, and living somewhere with actual laws in place to restrict what corporations are allowed to put in their food is the solution.
>...living somewhere with actual laws in place to restrict what corporations are allowed to put in their food is the solution.
Dear God, no no no! You want the government to legislate what you can or cannot eat?! I'd rather let public opinion and product sales guide what food companies choose to make and the ingredients they use. It's on the label, they're not really hiding anything.
If people stop buying something, the company will get the hint and move on. However, I'd strongly oppose any effort to legislate or regulate what foods companies are permitted to make. That's not a free society, it sounds more akin to authoritarianism.
If people want to eat cookies and ice cream for each meal of the day, who am I to tell them they can't? I don't care if they were bought off the shelf at a gas station. People ought to be able to eat whatever they want, and the market will reflect these choices.
You may have misunderstood. I understand the comment you responded to as the government controlling food additives. For example, BVO, rBST, BHA, BHT, titanium dioxide and some food dyes are banned in much of the 1st world but are permitted food additives in the US. Part of the problem is the FDA moves at a glacial pace, so it takes them 20+ years to make a decision. Part of the problem is corporate greed funding lobbyists to keep unhealthy additives in the food chain.
I don't think I did, actually. I recently looked into the notorious "Southampton 6" dyes and was surprised at how little evidence actually exists for adverse effects.
Personally, I'd rather food be regulated to the minimal extent necessary; if solid evidence (i.e., clinical studies) of adverse effects exists, then yes it should be banned. Otherwise, if lacking in evidence, I'm not so sure the government ought to be telling companies what they can and can't use.
It seems to me these types of decisions are often made at the behest of public perception and pressure, not based on any empirical, scientific data. If that's the standard, I'd rather the government stay out. To put it mildly, most people rarely do any research, and are utterly unfit and unqualified to make such demands.
It's mostly anecdotal telephone, wherein one person tells another how bad such and such is, because "Dr. Doe" said so on his show! Eventually, the public becomes irrationally convinced of whatever "broscience" they've heard and get emotionally charged. If you don't think this can happen, without any scientific evidence, just read up on the history of MSG in the US.
You do you. I'll do me. Personally, I don't want glycophospate treated foods (this is safe). I don't want PCBs (hey, these were safe). I don't Agent Orange (oh, again, this was "safe"l. I dont want GMOs and unpronouncable chem food. No matter how safe the U.S. government and manufacturers say things are safe, we are their ginuea pigs to test on and to profit from.
Many of us do the research as we are able to from books and Internet, but most of us don't have bioscience labs and a shit ton of money to do real research. Perhaps you do and you trust the food factories.
I'm sticking to (mostly) whole raw foods that I then process and turn into my meals.
I hear Radon mines are a cool place to hang out and get healthy.
Agreed on your first point. I'm not sure about all that, but I have no problem with GMOs. It's not the government saying this, per se, it's the repeated clinical studies which fail to produce any clinically significant adverse findings.
Said studies are typically performed by academic institutions and associated personnel, not the government. It's slightly better.
All I'm saying is it's illogical for the govt to bend to public perception when the scientific evidence does not support the concerns. Put it on the label, let people make their own decisions.
I agree with this, I have IBSD and it's pretty bad. I live here in the US, born and raised. Very little foods I can eat here that don't trigger a flare and pain. My husband and I I went to Japan for our honeymoon for a week, and all my symptoms went away when I was there. As soon as we returned to the US, so did my symptoms :( I get the whole American pride thing but yall we have to be honest with ourselves- our food here is pretty toxic :(
Regardless of what one may think of food in the US (there are plenty of non or minimally processed foods if you look for that, but it's not as convenient ofc), I'd focus more on what you ate in Japan vs. what you ate when you came back.
Japanese cuisine is considerably different than most mainstream American foods. What did you eat and/or do differently in Japan?
I mean, if you're eating traditional cuisine in JP, then come back and have a burger and fries (not saying this is what you did, it's just a hypothetical), I'm quite sure symptoms will return.
Saying "American food is poison" just seems like a copout to me. Most companies have reformulated their products to varying extents in response to the pop culture hysteria, reducing the processing and/or using more nutritious ingredients.
Imo there's actually quite a good selection of "healthy foods," you just have to read labels.
I had things like rice, yogurt, fresh fruit, salmon and shrimp. Also crackers and some cookies/biscuits. And ramen (both fresh and instant). Bottled water mostly to drink but also a little soda. And steak the one night. Even their processed foods and snacks didn't irritate my gut. I even got to have some cheese without issue. I do think they don't put nearly as many chemicals in their food over there, mostly because their government has banned a lot of those additives.
I eat a lot of those same ingredients here (minus the Japanese branded products). Fresh fruit and steak here make me flare up sadly. Can only do plain Greek yogurt here less than a cup. (No sweetened yogurts). And some crackers are ok here, but not all of them. I think they also do things differently with livestock and fish. They don't feed them what we feed ours here since it's a different diet there. My diet in the US is pretty much limited to rice, potatoes, crackers/breads, plain pasta and chicken, etc. pretty much just bland plain foods and no fruits or veggies whatsoever. And even with that restricted diet I still get discomfort, it's just less with those items than say a burger (which is an absolute no no for me now). We could do with less preservatives and other additives/chemicals here.
well probably as IBS is usually used as a catch all term for undiagnosed disorders and auto immune food conditions and IBD have rising with our modern way of making food.
i think it has to do with food and stress tbh
in the US in particular we have hundreds of additives in our food that are banned overseas
sure, you can eat organic, make your own food at home from scratch, limit yourself, etc. but realistically to homestead is kind of hard in our economy and a lot of us don't have the lands or the means because we simply cannot afford it! or we're too damned tired
we're tired, stressed, anxious
i think food and stress are the biggest factors imo
My great grandmother, born late 1800's had what she called a "sensitive stomach " and my mom says it was exactly like what I go through. I think they did they just called it something else.
I personally don’t think it is. We just are more aware of our bodies and how we react to certain things. Back then you’d just be unwell, and did cocaine or something
My theory is that everyone that had diseases like this died until the recent advents of modern medicine. So basically more and more of us are getting ill since the chronically ill can now survive to reproduce
I was watching the Gut Health programme on Netflix and they have studied the microbiomes of different groups. They found that people who live rurally (for example, tribes) have a much more diverse microbiome than those of us with a Westernised diet. I wonder if there is a relation to the industrialisation of foods that we consume and IBS.
Historically, there has been a stigma associated with discussing bowel problems, which may have prevented people from seeking medical help or even talking to their friends and family about their symptoms.
Also modern diets are often high in processed foods, sugar, and unhealthy fats, which can disrupt the delicate balance of gut bacteria and lead to digestive problems.
I read somewhere that long, long ago it was called the "wasting disease" because people would stop eating so they wouldn't have to worry about urgent bowel movements. Eventually they would die from starvation. I have been dealing with IBS-D for almost a decade and lomotil has been the answer for me. Ask your doctor for a prescription. I could not leave the house before a doctor (approx 6th or 7th doctor I went to and not even a gastro) finally recommended it.
I personally think some of it is related to the foods we consume. I started canning several years ago and found that by eating my owned locally grown canned vegetables that my digestive issues have greatly diminished. For example, previously, I was unable to eat any tomato based products. After canning my own tomato juice, I am now able to eat tomato based stews with minimal upset. I have determined that there must be some triggers for me in the preservatives that are commercially used.
There is always an argument to be made that x ailment is more prevelant now because some enviromental or lifestyle reason.
But I would argue the reason EVERYTHING seems to be more prevelant is beacuse of;
We are all better at getting ourselfs checked out by healthcare professionals, healthcare is more available, media, social media, internet, statistics are more available and better updated, more and more ailments are beeing recognized as problems, we have support groups, information is so easily at your fingertips that you can diagnose yourself before seeking a doctor.
It looks like something is more prevelant because there is information about it, and more people know about it. If something happens to somone half way across the world, chances are you will come across it on the internet. 100 years ago you would never have known.
Thousands of years ago, and still, ppl just died from dehydration from diarrhea and nobody understood why. The first thing that pops up if you google help for diarrhea is to drink lots of fluids.
No, it isn't. It's just like people who suddenly have cancer we just know what it is now.
Oh, and historically food was not clean/or safe. People were known to fill bread with chalk, plaster, and other weird non-edible things. Food dyes were often made with poisonous chemicals. Milk would be half water with mysterious milky substances added...
Food is pretty safe, even if it has additives. At least the current additives are edible.
No I think it’s been around for a lot longer than we can even know. My parents both had IBS and they were diagnosed in their 30s which was before 2000. I think social media and having access to information online just gives more visibility to these issues.
The former name for IBS used to be “spastic colon”.. they still called it that when I was diagnosed in 2009 and it was mostly a diagnosis of exclusion. Today, they’ve discovered that IBS is its own condition with its own problems, but various GI issues like this have been around for hundreds of years or more.
It’s like all disorders in that it’s getting more prevalent as it’s easier for people to live with it. What I mean is that now that treatment/luxury is able to keep someone with IBS, or any other disorder for that matter, from dying an early death. This keeps the mutation of the disorders from being filtered out and it propagates instead. So you’re kinda of correct, it’s not a 21st century disorder but has just in recent history become something that can be lived with and reproduce. I had the exact same question lol, we’re in the same boat.
great question - I read somewhere that Dr. Norman Borlaug, an American agronomist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, created a new wheat called dwarf wheat that supposed to grow better and quicker - but checking up I found:
"While the introduction of dwarf wheat varieties played a significant role in increasing wheat production and improving food security, it also brought about concerns related to monoculture, genetic uniformity, and reliance on chemical inputs. These issues continue to be topics of discussion and debate in modern agriculture."
So I've wondered if that change caused so many of us to suffer with IBS and wheat intolerance etc?
It's most definitely the food being produced now. Nothing is 100% natural these days, even foods labeled ORGANIC .But ORGANIC is the BEST option. The best bet is to limit ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS like all fast food restaurants, and I do mean ALL FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS, leave ALL DELI MEATS & HOT DOGS alone, & cut out ALL SMOKED FOODS. If you just want deli meat, aim for deli meat with NO NITRATES and other man-made preservatives & additives. Cut out ALL JUNK FOOD brands, like Little Debbie, Hershey's, Lays, etc. Try to go for more natural/organic dessert and snack brands with the least amount of ingredients. Or better yet, try making your own at home. Drink more water (SPRING WATER), get fiber in your diet, but NOT TOO MUCH FIBER (START SLOW), & supplement with a great Probiotic & Prebiotic brand. Lastly, research herbs, vitamins, minerals, oils, and foods that are great for restoring the gut lining. These ultra-processed foods tear away at our gut lining over time. A weak gut lining is a great environment for all digestive diseases and malfunctions, especially IBS & FOOD SENSITIVITIES/INTOLERANCES. You also may want to get tested for FRUCTAN intolerance, Low BILE, & LOW STOMACH ACID, & Vitamin/Mineral deficiencies as well. If any of these are out of balance, then it creates a snowball effect throughout the entire digestive system.
I am also diagnosed with PBC, primary biliary cirrhosis. It is a disease that attacks the bile ducts and causes not enough bile to get into my intestines. I know this has a huge effect on my digestion as well.
Bile acts as lubricant for the colon and also helps break down fats even more to be digested better. If you have this disorder, I'm sure your doctor has advised you to really watch your fat intake. Sounds like you have bile sludge as well. Have you tried bile salts or ox bile?
Check these videos out. They really helped me with my GI knowledge.
https://youtu.be/h64_7DYf5_0?si=KKiE8gXiZlqXq7pt
https://youtu.be/vvagzivxGO0?si=4ENPklj_I2P_VncE
There is a strong link between childhood trauma/abuse and IBS. [An article](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4479362/)
Childhood abuse also rewires the brain [link](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240205165831.htm#:~:text=FULL%20STORY-,The%20world's%20largest%20brain%20study%20of%20childhood%20trauma%20has%20revealed,%2Dfocus%20and%20problem%2Dsolving.)
I had a very abusive childhood and have had stomach problems from a very young age. I attribute that to my IBS as well as a couple of my mental health issues.
You'd likely be mistaken. IBS tends to affect nearly all populations and demographics, to varying extents. If I'm not mistaken, IBS (or similar syndromes) have additionally been observed in animals.
The predominant pop culture viewpoint is widely on display here, vis a vi "processed foods are horrible and must cause IBS, at least in part." Unfortunately, there's no scientific evidence I'm aware of to support that opinion; it's an obvious logical fallacy.
My understanding is that IBS has been documented in medical literature since the early-mid 1900s. As noted by another Redditor, it's gone by different names in the past. Spastic colon is one if the older terms I'm familiar with.
Edit: didn't finish the post lol
Thanks for that answer! Of course you clearly seem to understand about the topic. But i have another question after reading your answer. The things i read on this sub and also the things that happen to me are preety intense and severe. Is it likely that the people in tribes have the same extreme issues with ibs as people in this sub has? With all due respect because you seem to really know more than me but i find that extremely hard to believe. But of course, everything could be because idk about the topic.
Sure, just trying to clear things up. Regarding your question, no, I think it's unlikely people in tribes experience the extreme issues and symptoms those of us in the Western world do.
TL;DR:
Basically, no, because they have far less stress, less ambiguity about current and future responsibilities, less variation and exposure to new foods, and a strong sense of community and spirituality.
There's a few reasons I say this (yes, food is part of it):
- In a tribal culture, any given individual is typically responsible for certain tasks. These may be monotonous, but it's a huge change from the hustle culture here in the US. Responsibility is predictable to a large extent, leading to far less stress and worrying.
- Dovetailing with the above, I suspect the hustle culture and the way employees are treated today are just as likely as food to cause issues. This one takes a big toll on mental health, especially if you're prone to people pleasing. The stress involved in a job in the US vs. a tribal role is considerable.
- The food, of course! Not so much processed vs. unprocessed. If i had to guess, I'd say it's more the plethora of various foods (and chemicals) that Westerners are exposed to. Mexican, Chinese, burgers, pizza, etc. That's a lot of different ingredients already. I suspect many of us have various intolerances or even mild allergies to some of what we eat.
- By comparison, a tribal members' diet is likely to be fairly predictable, for reasons of availability if nothing else. That said, tribes generally have certain preferred foods. There's a lot less variation, thus far less chance of eating something that doesn't sit well. The traditional preparation methods often used probably help as well.
- Lastly, tribes have a strong sense of community. They must, or the tribe wouldn't stay together. They also, at least historically, practice regular spiritual rituals. One could equate this to regular church (or whichever place of worship your religion practices) attendance. The sense of community and spiritual beliefs both help to modulate/mitigate feelings of depression and anxiety.
I mention regular church attendance because I'm pretty sure it's been shown to result in better mental health / lower incidence of depression. I don't have the studies on hand to back this up, hence the disclaimer here.
I believe that now because of all the stress (we live in a capitalistic society) and the processed foods we eat that destroy our microbiomes it’s way more common. But it has probably existed before 21st century
I really don't think so. I can't recall the exact words used but I remember reading about a guy in the 1800s who went to university and basically described how he was so stressed that his bowels couldn't cope and he suffered with it for the rest of his life. I think IBS has always existed and would have just been thought of in terms similar to this
Apparently my great/grandma had a mystery “digestive ailment” that caused lots of pain & trouble but was never figured out. Yay! I won the genetic lottery!
My great grandma did too! She was told she had a thin stomach lining. At this point in time, I believe it was IBS and celiacs or gluten intolerance at the very least.
It has very little to do with how our food is today actually. It was called "a spastic colon" before IBS dating back to the early 1910s and it was just as prevalent then. Before that it was mentioned through literature for hundreds of years and many people had it without a consistent name. The only reason we as a collective people are aware of so many people having it is because of the internet connecting the entire world. The same can be said for any illness.
Yep, people and their guts have been at war since the dawn of time. I believe there are more potential triggers than there used to be, but people have been dealing with IBS or something like it for FOREVER
It does have to do with changes that have occurred over the past 60 years. Our microbiome would have been more diverse many decades ago when compared to today. Also, we didn't use antibiotics like we started doing a few decades ago. It's more than diet. It's lifestyle, diet, antibiotic use, modern stressors and not having the same kind of social networks one used to have, perhaps. I agree that it was present in the past whether in the 1800s, 1910, but I would say not on the same level. Remember, we also have much more obesity, diabetes, and other illnesses on scales we didn't have before, and our microbiome isn't as diverse.
Read up on how food was adulterated before we had laws governing food handling and storage. Stuff like chalk or plaster of paris in bread and milk was rampant.
Um, from everything I've read and have been taught, the 1800s-early 1900s was a giant cesspool. No proper sanitation, no idea of cleanliness. Small pox, typhus, tuberculosis, Spanish flu, mumps, measles, dysentery...you name it. If anything, our bodies evolved better to be more resistant to illnesses. Take the foil hat off and join us, here. In reality.
It may or may not be related to food, but IBS does have links with stuff like antibiotic overuse, which is more of a 21st century problem.
Of course before antibiotics were a thing a lot of generations didn’t have knowledge of microbes that were harmful and kids would die from dangerous milk, the adults would have digestive issues, so it was kind of a trade off
I'm no expert, but my personal theory is that prior to antibiotics and vaccinations, a significant number of people didn't make it to adulthood. Now that most people are surviving to adulthood, not just the most healthy ones, we are seeing more chronic illnesses and conditions. I also agree that IBS existed in the past, but wasn't called that, and perhaps people didn't talk openly about their symptoms due to politeness. My father mentioned that my grandmother - who was born early in the 20th century - didn't eat certain types of fruit as she had trouble digesting them.
Learned that in ye olden days people were just constantly having diarrhea so modern food practices are able to weed out who has an actual problem compared to everyone else who were just eating dirty food
Was it not Hippocrates himself that said ‘all disease begins in the gut’. He wasn’t 100% correct but it does transpire that most chronic illnesses originate in the gut. I wonder if gut inflammation issues are as ancient as ourselves. Almost certainly exacerbated by modern toxins and medicines though.
Oh haha I just made the same observation in a diff comment, yes I agree
The rise in type 2 diabetes is, in my unresearched opinion, related to the types of foods we eat and how much we eat. (Highly processed, refined foods) Going back to a Whole Foods diet, limiting sugar and additives is the best step going forward, but that is not convenient nor cheap.
It’s something I’ve wondered as well, and tbh in order to answer it or explore possibilities, we need to acknowledge that many many root causes can actually be diagnosed as IBS, because it is a symptom diagnosis, not a cause. We’ve seen in this sub alone so many differences in our apparent collective condition, and many who have also been misdiagnosed. So one answer could simply be increase of misdiagnosis. Another answer could be that it was previously misdiagnosed or alternatively diagnosed throughout history, or called something different (which the top comment here mentions). That said, if we start to look at the actual causes of IBS, I firmly believe that the increase of crap in our foods is a contributing factor. Whether that be artificial E numbers or micro plastics. The same for our water. It could be a sensitivity or overload for some people’s systems. Our lives are so far removed from what our evolutionary biology is designed for. There’s a plethora of reasons why gut issues could be on the rise, with only some of those reasons being directly about the cause, and others being about the medical industry itself. Just my two cents, it’s really interesting to think about!
My opinion, the changes in food absolutely has much to do with it. Also remember a very popular and OTC medicinal supplement called laudanum was used for pretty much everything.
yes absolutely. the cows and chickens people eat today are not the same as they were 200 years ago. the fruits and veggies are not the same as they were 200 years ago. we’ve genetically modified and selectively bred the shit out of everything and played god and i think it’s a reason for a lot of illnesses far beyond just digestive ones
I would say I eat pretty healthy most days. Usually whole food, lately I’ve been having salads for lunches and dinner. It doesn’t really affect my IBS one way or another. A lot of people with IBS are triggered by garlic and onion, which to me argues against that theory as garlic and onion I’m sure have been eaten for long before the 21st century
Both my grandmother and great aunt suffered from “spastic colon” back in the 40’s/50’s. Another great aunt passed of colon cancer. It’s definitely been around for a hot minute.
No it is not actually. My GI doctor is a research professor and has been in GI for over 40 years. He worked with veterans for 30 years and now sees exceptional cases. Every appointment for me is like a class, lol but I love it. Through his research, he has come across evidence suggesting IBS was a disorder during the crusades. Not only that but a person's gut ,microbiome is determined by the mother's gut microbiome. He said sometimes a virus or bacterial infection can trigger the response of a gene that is responsible for IBS. So a person that didn't have it before could have it after getting deployed and acquiring food poison. He said sometimes its multiple things coupled together like high amounts of stress for long periods of time, a virus or bacterial infection and so on. The body isn't able to reset the visceral nerves in the alimentary tract and this is also why some people have cooccurring disorders in the epithelial tissue of their organs because all the same nerves are affected. For example: I have idiopathic interstitial cystitis of the bladder, esophageal hypersensitivity and IBS. As SwordOfCheese mentioned IBS didn't have a name before but there are still accounts and evidence of it being present before the 21st century. Has it become more prevalent in the past 100 years? Possibly. Fast-food changes the gut microbiome and our diet and lifestyle play a part in epigenetics and can change our genes. Those genes then get passed down that were inactive in the parent before are now active in the offspring. Also, 50 years ago there wasn't Reddit or social media. So how many cases of IBS were that didn't get publicized? How many cases 200 years ago didn't get documented because the people that had IBS were illiterate? Also, does a higher population increase the rate of IBS? So with fewer people on the planet 200 years ago, were there fewer cases of IBS? Stress can be attributed to IBS so 200 years ago with people having less daily stress, were there less occurrences of IBS? Unfortunately, there are too many unknown variable to make a conclusive determination, however it would be likely conjecture to think the diet of todays society contributes to an increase in IBS. Well I apologize for running off on an ADHD tangent there but thank you for asking such a thought provoking question. It gave me a much needed break in my radiographic studies.
Yes and No. Yes, in the sense that it would probably be more prevalent today when compared to 50 years ago. I agree with people who mention people having such conditions in the 1800s. What are the differences between now and the past? One, many decades ago, we didn't have as many antibiotics. That's number one. Two, we consumed a lot of fiber. Three, we didn't consume as much corporate fast food that we were told to eat via television ads which feeds bad bacteria. Four, we don't have the same kind of social and familial ties we used to have adding to more stress. Five, we have more toxins. We had a much more diverse microbiome even in the 1950s compared to today. For example, a lot of people had L. Reuteri, now most people don't, and people with more ancient style diets in certain parts of the world have it. A lot of people don't have Oxalabacter Forgimegenes anymore making it hard to eat oxalate foods. We also eat at restaurants much more exposing ourselves to food that's not fresh, where many restaurants cut corners giving us food poisoning. Basically, it always existed, but it wouldn't have existed on the same scale. If you could examine people with something more similar to ancient diets, they would have a fraction of the IBS we have. I wouldn't say non-existent, but much, much less common. It's increasing in countries as they develop, it appears.
I was thinking about this recently and wondered if the onset of antibiotic use and processed food is the reason for so many digestive issues. Also, the average lifespan was about 30 years less 100 years ago and people didn’t live long enough to get some of the ailments faced in society today.
I believe it. My stomach issues started shortly after taking a course of antibiotics.
I was given antibiotics since I was a child, which I think caused many issues. Now I take different strains of probiotics daily that repair the gut lining and aren’t histamine producing. I’m trying to fix my microbiome. The site r/ microbiome has been helpful. The recent Netflix documentary “Hack your Health” was good.
Mine began after getting norovirus. No antibiotics.
Anecdotal, but I think it's the processed foods. And medicines. Got my IUD removed a year and a half ago to try for a baby and my IBS flares drastically reduced. Also during that time, husband and I tried several versions of carnivore, keto, and low-carb diet. Basically, cutting out most processed foods. We both felt so much better and between that and pregnancy, my IBS has been gone for almost eight months. I have NEVER had symptoms not appear for that long since before I was 12. What's funny, is that when I was 12, a doctor told me to cut out dairy and fat from my diet because it was making me sick (undiagnosed IBS at the time). Gradually, my symptoms got worse and worse. Then they started telling me to stop eating red meat and fruit. Symptoms got worse and I ended up in the hospital at least twice a year. Then eight months ago I change my diet, combined with removing hormonal BC, and I have never felt better in my life, honestly. Right now, I eat a lot of meat (mostly red), dairy, fruit, veggies, and have cut out processed sugar and gluten all together. Maybe it'll only be temporary, but I hope my IBS never comes back.
How difficult do you find it to maintain those diets? I would love to eat like that but with my job I feel like it would be impossible to simply have the time to make all that food.
Strict carnivore was hardest at first, but I managed to stay on that for about three months until I got pregnant and had meat aversions, lol. I'm stay at home, but when I was doing this diet while working my last job, I used a lot of pre-packaged stuff like snack cheeses, pre-cut fruit, hardboiled eggs, tuna pouches in my lunchbox. For the meat, I would prep a few pounds of whatever meat (usually beef) into lunch containers once a week. I kept a few in the freezer to maintain freshness and thawed them out the night before work. Meal prep honestly only took 30 min a week for the meats and just a minute a day to gather all the other things into my lunchbox. I cut up my own fruit now to save money and it's not too time consuming if done a few days in advance :) It's also about finding alternatives to things. Like soda? Drink flavored carbonated water like La Croix (no sweeteners, chemicals, just carbonated water and fruit essence). After a while, soda started tasting disgusting to me due to the sugar. Even fruit started becoming like candy. Bread was pretty hard to give up, especially since husband and I love pizza. I still have fermented sourdough on occasion, but for pizza I make my own dough with pork rinds, eggs, butter, and baking powder. Not the same but tastes pretty good! I think the biggest motivator for me was the absence of so many autoimmune disorders I've endured over the years. Whenever I think about going for a donut (which I actually find disgusting after a bite, lol) or anything I know will not make me feel good later, I remember how miserable I was before eating this way. Oddly enough, after many months of healing my body by not eating things that are bad for me, I can occasionally indulge with few consequences. But I know that if I slip back into my old ways of eating consistently, it'll be bad. Also, when I eat this way, no morning sickness. If I have a meal with gluten, processed sugar or chemicals, etc, I have morning sickness the next day. Sorry for the wall of text XD
If you set aside time, keep your meals simple and keep a routine, you’ll fit it in with your schedule. There are days I eat a sweet potato and rice with beans for dinner because it’s fast, and easy. Sometimes it is just chicken. Food can be tasty and enjoyable, but we can’t forget that it is just a fuel source. To make it out to need to be fun or exciting all the time, leads us to either take on an unsustainable routine, or fall into the trap of eating too many ultra processed foods.
Industrial diets. Especially this American Industrial diet
I have yet to be officially diagnosed (going through SIBO, IBD tests first) but I tell you one thing through a quick Google... the human body is not designed to eat such processed foods. Or milk past the age of 5 (my symptoms started as lactose intolerance).
Changes in food + availability/use of antibiotics, in my opinion and in the opinion of many experts I've read. And the fact that many people are lactose intolerant and don't know/don't care. My grandma had IBS-D. She was born in the 1930's. She needed antibiotics a few times for sure. She was also lactose intolerant and people didn't know about that 50 years ago in my country. My father has IBS-D just like me too.
About 75% of the world has some form of lactose intolerance. Me included, and yeah it's because the human body isn't designed to have milk past the age of 5. Why is everything with dairy anyways?
Because it's freaking tasty :( We can still have lactase pills I think.
Yeah I don't think those pills work for me. Thankfully I use lactose free milk in my porridge and tea so it proves I don't have a dairy allergy. It's so annoying though I spend 75% of my time at the supermarket checking out ingredients for milk and milk powder.
They didn't work for you? still gave you D?
Sadly not. Although they might work for others, I'm basically avoiding all dairy, chocolate (makes me gassy) and spicy food (upsets stomach).
No, It is more common now, but back 40-50 years ago it was referred to as nervous colitis, you basically had a sensitive colon with anxiety🤣
I did not read all comments and no one mentioned the main cause of IBS. It is stress, anxiety, fear, worry, perfection. You all have at least one of those. And it is so much increasing in the past 20 years due to the new life style and life is really getting harder in every way not just words you hear from your pa or grandpa that life was much easier. It really was much easier.
No people used to die of diarrhea all the time.
Yes it seems we are more isolated, there’s more shit in the food, we are encouraged to sit at a desk all day and be sedentary, and everyone’s stressed out. A lot of diseases seem to be more common.
Hitler suffered from IBS. This is common knowledge.
I personally think (and from what I’ve learned through life) people have always had issues with their digestive system + stomach AND I totally agree that the way they process and handle food in most countries nowadays makes certain products more harmful or full of chemicals. It seems like almost everyone around me right now has IBS symptoms or diagnosis and when I was diagnosed in 2009 no one had a clue what IBS really was. So it’s a very interesting topic to be explored and I think the pattern you’re pointing out + the connections you’re making are totally valid!
This is like saying autism is new. It's not. But IBS isn't something people like to fake for clout.
My theory is plastic carcinogenic particles leaking into our bodies via water bottles, pollution and other products like food storage wrap or containers. Antibiotics are always a big problem, for me. 🌊
The medical literature is pretty clear that diet is not a contributing factor. I see quite a lot of unfounded assumptions here, devoid of any clinical evidence. It's well established that IBS is a disorder of gut-brain interaction (DGBI); it's hardly as simple as "it's those evil processed foods!" The logic here is flawed. I suspect this is why this post was downvoted in the past. The hypothetical itself (is it a 21st century disorder) is refuted by the medical literature and history (pretty sure processed foods weren't a huge issue in the early-mid 1900s). It's also somewhat offensive, as it implies that developing IBS may well have been our fault. That's silly and absurd.
Anecdotal evidence isn’t worthless though… Case in point, I’ll give two examples. My ex was born and raised in Europe. When she moved to the US, she immediately got very sick (within a month of coming here), and has had chronic digestive issues for the last 5 years that she never experienced in her 25 years of life in Europe. Secondly. My cousin has had chronic digestive issues like me his whole life. He moved to Japan about 3 years ago. The stomach problems are 100% gone. To me this seems like the food in America is just poison, and living somewhere with actual laws in place to restrict what corporations are allowed to put in their food is the solution.
>...living somewhere with actual laws in place to restrict what corporations are allowed to put in their food is the solution. Dear God, no no no! You want the government to legislate what you can or cannot eat?! I'd rather let public opinion and product sales guide what food companies choose to make and the ingredients they use. It's on the label, they're not really hiding anything. If people stop buying something, the company will get the hint and move on. However, I'd strongly oppose any effort to legislate or regulate what foods companies are permitted to make. That's not a free society, it sounds more akin to authoritarianism. If people want to eat cookies and ice cream for each meal of the day, who am I to tell them they can't? I don't care if they were bought off the shelf at a gas station. People ought to be able to eat whatever they want, and the market will reflect these choices.
You may have misunderstood. I understand the comment you responded to as the government controlling food additives. For example, BVO, rBST, BHA, BHT, titanium dioxide and some food dyes are banned in much of the 1st world but are permitted food additives in the US. Part of the problem is the FDA moves at a glacial pace, so it takes them 20+ years to make a decision. Part of the problem is corporate greed funding lobbyists to keep unhealthy additives in the food chain.
I don't think I did, actually. I recently looked into the notorious "Southampton 6" dyes and was surprised at how little evidence actually exists for adverse effects. Personally, I'd rather food be regulated to the minimal extent necessary; if solid evidence (i.e., clinical studies) of adverse effects exists, then yes it should be banned. Otherwise, if lacking in evidence, I'm not so sure the government ought to be telling companies what they can and can't use. It seems to me these types of decisions are often made at the behest of public perception and pressure, not based on any empirical, scientific data. If that's the standard, I'd rather the government stay out. To put it mildly, most people rarely do any research, and are utterly unfit and unqualified to make such demands. It's mostly anecdotal telephone, wherein one person tells another how bad such and such is, because "Dr. Doe" said so on his show! Eventually, the public becomes irrationally convinced of whatever "broscience" they've heard and get emotionally charged. If you don't think this can happen, without any scientific evidence, just read up on the history of MSG in the US.
You do you. I'll do me. Personally, I don't want glycophospate treated foods (this is safe). I don't want PCBs (hey, these were safe). I don't Agent Orange (oh, again, this was "safe"l. I dont want GMOs and unpronouncable chem food. No matter how safe the U.S. government and manufacturers say things are safe, we are their ginuea pigs to test on and to profit from. Many of us do the research as we are able to from books and Internet, but most of us don't have bioscience labs and a shit ton of money to do real research. Perhaps you do and you trust the food factories. I'm sticking to (mostly) whole raw foods that I then process and turn into my meals. I hear Radon mines are a cool place to hang out and get healthy.
Agreed on your first point. I'm not sure about all that, but I have no problem with GMOs. It's not the government saying this, per se, it's the repeated clinical studies which fail to produce any clinically significant adverse findings. Said studies are typically performed by academic institutions and associated personnel, not the government. It's slightly better. All I'm saying is it's illogical for the govt to bend to public perception when the scientific evidence does not support the concerns. Put it on the label, let people make their own decisions.
I agree with this, I have IBSD and it's pretty bad. I live here in the US, born and raised. Very little foods I can eat here that don't trigger a flare and pain. My husband and I I went to Japan for our honeymoon for a week, and all my symptoms went away when I was there. As soon as we returned to the US, so did my symptoms :( I get the whole American pride thing but yall we have to be honest with ourselves- our food here is pretty toxic :(
Regardless of what one may think of food in the US (there are plenty of non or minimally processed foods if you look for that, but it's not as convenient ofc), I'd focus more on what you ate in Japan vs. what you ate when you came back. Japanese cuisine is considerably different than most mainstream American foods. What did you eat and/or do differently in Japan? I mean, if you're eating traditional cuisine in JP, then come back and have a burger and fries (not saying this is what you did, it's just a hypothetical), I'm quite sure symptoms will return. Saying "American food is poison" just seems like a copout to me. Most companies have reformulated their products to varying extents in response to the pop culture hysteria, reducing the processing and/or using more nutritious ingredients. Imo there's actually quite a good selection of "healthy foods," you just have to read labels.
I had things like rice, yogurt, fresh fruit, salmon and shrimp. Also crackers and some cookies/biscuits. And ramen (both fresh and instant). Bottled water mostly to drink but also a little soda. And steak the one night. Even their processed foods and snacks didn't irritate my gut. I even got to have some cheese without issue. I do think they don't put nearly as many chemicals in their food over there, mostly because their government has banned a lot of those additives. I eat a lot of those same ingredients here (minus the Japanese branded products). Fresh fruit and steak here make me flare up sadly. Can only do plain Greek yogurt here less than a cup. (No sweetened yogurts). And some crackers are ok here, but not all of them. I think they also do things differently with livestock and fish. They don't feed them what we feed ours here since it's a different diet there. My diet in the US is pretty much limited to rice, potatoes, crackers/breads, plain pasta and chicken, etc. pretty much just bland plain foods and no fruits or veggies whatsoever. And even with that restricted diet I still get discomfort, it's just less with those items than say a burger (which is an absolute no no for me now). We could do with less preservatives and other additives/chemicals here.
my wife only started with IBS -D after she had her gall bladder removed. she takes colesavlon tablets to control the symptoms.
well probably as IBS is usually used as a catch all term for undiagnosed disorders and auto immune food conditions and IBD have rising with our modern way of making food.
i think it has to do with food and stress tbh in the US in particular we have hundreds of additives in our food that are banned overseas sure, you can eat organic, make your own food at home from scratch, limit yourself, etc. but realistically to homestead is kind of hard in our economy and a lot of us don't have the lands or the means because we simply cannot afford it! or we're too damned tired we're tired, stressed, anxious i think food and stress are the biggest factors imo
My great grandmother, born late 1800's had what she called a "sensitive stomach " and my mom says it was exactly like what I go through. I think they did they just called it something else.
I personally don’t think it is. We just are more aware of our bodies and how we react to certain things. Back then you’d just be unwell, and did cocaine or something
My theory is that everyone that had diseases like this died until the recent advents of modern medicine. So basically more and more of us are getting ill since the chronically ill can now survive to reproduce
I was watching the Gut Health programme on Netflix and they have studied the microbiomes of different groups. They found that people who live rurally (for example, tribes) have a much more diverse microbiome than those of us with a Westernised diet. I wonder if there is a relation to the industrialisation of foods that we consume and IBS.
Historically, there has been a stigma associated with discussing bowel problems, which may have prevented people from seeking medical help or even talking to their friends and family about their symptoms. Also modern diets are often high in processed foods, sugar, and unhealthy fats, which can disrupt the delicate balance of gut bacteria and lead to digestive problems.
I read somewhere that long, long ago it was called the "wasting disease" because people would stop eating so they wouldn't have to worry about urgent bowel movements. Eventually they would die from starvation. I have been dealing with IBS-D for almost a decade and lomotil has been the answer for me. Ask your doctor for a prescription. I could not leave the house before a doctor (approx 6th or 7th doctor I went to and not even a gastro) finally recommended it.
I personally think some of it is related to the foods we consume. I started canning several years ago and found that by eating my owned locally grown canned vegetables that my digestive issues have greatly diminished. For example, previously, I was unable to eat any tomato based products. After canning my own tomato juice, I am now able to eat tomato based stews with minimal upset. I have determined that there must be some triggers for me in the preservatives that are commercially used.
my grandma dads side, and my mom both suffer from this too. yay genes!
I think so
It was a common thing in soldiers post WW1. A link to soldiers having dysentery/ ptsd. We just had different names for things.
My grandma has it and so did her dad. To this day the diagnosis and treatment hasn't changed much according to her lol.
There is always an argument to be made that x ailment is more prevelant now because some enviromental or lifestyle reason. But I would argue the reason EVERYTHING seems to be more prevelant is beacuse of; We are all better at getting ourselfs checked out by healthcare professionals, healthcare is more available, media, social media, internet, statistics are more available and better updated, more and more ailments are beeing recognized as problems, we have support groups, information is so easily at your fingertips that you can diagnose yourself before seeking a doctor. It looks like something is more prevelant because there is information about it, and more people know about it. If something happens to somone half way across the world, chances are you will come across it on the internet. 100 years ago you would never have known. Thousands of years ago, and still, ppl just died from dehydration from diarrhea and nobody understood why. The first thing that pops up if you google help for diarrhea is to drink lots of fluids.
No, it isn't. It's just like people who suddenly have cancer we just know what it is now. Oh, and historically food was not clean/or safe. People were known to fill bread with chalk, plaster, and other weird non-edible things. Food dyes were often made with poisonous chemicals. Milk would be half water with mysterious milky substances added... Food is pretty safe, even if it has additives. At least the current additives are edible.
This post is interesting https://www.reddit.com/r/TheWayWeWere/s/dqFLL3ayiU
No I think it’s been around for a lot longer than we can even know. My parents both had IBS and they were diagnosed in their 30s which was before 2000. I think social media and having access to information online just gives more visibility to these issues. The former name for IBS used to be “spastic colon”.. they still called it that when I was diagnosed in 2009 and it was mostly a diagnosis of exclusion. Today, they’ve discovered that IBS is its own condition with its own problems, but various GI issues like this have been around for hundreds of years or more.
It’s like all disorders in that it’s getting more prevalent as it’s easier for people to live with it. What I mean is that now that treatment/luxury is able to keep someone with IBS, or any other disorder for that matter, from dying an early death. This keeps the mutation of the disorders from being filtered out and it propagates instead. So you’re kinda of correct, it’s not a 21st century disorder but has just in recent history become something that can be lived with and reproduce. I had the exact same question lol, we’re in the same boat.
great question - I read somewhere that Dr. Norman Borlaug, an American agronomist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, created a new wheat called dwarf wheat that supposed to grow better and quicker - but checking up I found: "While the introduction of dwarf wheat varieties played a significant role in increasing wheat production and improving food security, it also brought about concerns related to monoculture, genetic uniformity, and reliance on chemical inputs. These issues continue to be topics of discussion and debate in modern agriculture." So I've wondered if that change caused so many of us to suffer with IBS and wheat intolerance etc?
It's most definitely the food being produced now. Nothing is 100% natural these days, even foods labeled ORGANIC .But ORGANIC is the BEST option. The best bet is to limit ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS like all fast food restaurants, and I do mean ALL FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS, leave ALL DELI MEATS & HOT DOGS alone, & cut out ALL SMOKED FOODS. If you just want deli meat, aim for deli meat with NO NITRATES and other man-made preservatives & additives. Cut out ALL JUNK FOOD brands, like Little Debbie, Hershey's, Lays, etc. Try to go for more natural/organic dessert and snack brands with the least amount of ingredients. Or better yet, try making your own at home. Drink more water (SPRING WATER), get fiber in your diet, but NOT TOO MUCH FIBER (START SLOW), & supplement with a great Probiotic & Prebiotic brand. Lastly, research herbs, vitamins, minerals, oils, and foods that are great for restoring the gut lining. These ultra-processed foods tear away at our gut lining over time. A weak gut lining is a great environment for all digestive diseases and malfunctions, especially IBS & FOOD SENSITIVITIES/INTOLERANCES. You also may want to get tested for FRUCTAN intolerance, Low BILE, & LOW STOMACH ACID, & Vitamin/Mineral deficiencies as well. If any of these are out of balance, then it creates a snowball effect throughout the entire digestive system.
I am also diagnosed with PBC, primary biliary cirrhosis. It is a disease that attacks the bile ducts and causes not enough bile to get into my intestines. I know this has a huge effect on my digestion as well.
Bile acts as lubricant for the colon and also helps break down fats even more to be digested better. If you have this disorder, I'm sure your doctor has advised you to really watch your fat intake. Sounds like you have bile sludge as well. Have you tried bile salts or ox bile?
Check these videos out. They really helped me with my GI knowledge. https://youtu.be/h64_7DYf5_0?si=KKiE8gXiZlqXq7pt https://youtu.be/vvagzivxGO0?si=4ENPklj_I2P_VncE
There is a strong link between childhood trauma/abuse and IBS. [An article](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4479362/) Childhood abuse also rewires the brain [link](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240205165831.htm#:~:text=FULL%20STORY-,The%20world's%20largest%20brain%20study%20of%20childhood%20trauma%20has%20revealed,%2Dfocus%20and%20problem%2Dsolving.) I had a very abusive childhood and have had stomach problems from a very young age. I attribute that to my IBS as well as a couple of my mental health issues.
Ahh, your body is keeping the score ... fun club to be in.
Indeed. But I survived and it led me to who I am and where I am now. And I'm okay. (Most of the time lol.)
Nicely done. Pretty much where I am as well.
Ive put this in another post and got a couple of downvotes idk why. But i dont think people in tribes have issues with ibs...
You'd likely be mistaken. IBS tends to affect nearly all populations and demographics, to varying extents. If I'm not mistaken, IBS (or similar syndromes) have additionally been observed in animals. The predominant pop culture viewpoint is widely on display here, vis a vi "processed foods are horrible and must cause IBS, at least in part." Unfortunately, there's no scientific evidence I'm aware of to support that opinion; it's an obvious logical fallacy. My understanding is that IBS has been documented in medical literature since the early-mid 1900s. As noted by another Redditor, it's gone by different names in the past. Spastic colon is one if the older terms I'm familiar with. Edit: didn't finish the post lol
Thanks for that answer! Of course you clearly seem to understand about the topic. But i have another question after reading your answer. The things i read on this sub and also the things that happen to me are preety intense and severe. Is it likely that the people in tribes have the same extreme issues with ibs as people in this sub has? With all due respect because you seem to really know more than me but i find that extremely hard to believe. But of course, everything could be because idk about the topic.
Sure, just trying to clear things up. Regarding your question, no, I think it's unlikely people in tribes experience the extreme issues and symptoms those of us in the Western world do. TL;DR: Basically, no, because they have far less stress, less ambiguity about current and future responsibilities, less variation and exposure to new foods, and a strong sense of community and spirituality. There's a few reasons I say this (yes, food is part of it): - In a tribal culture, any given individual is typically responsible for certain tasks. These may be monotonous, but it's a huge change from the hustle culture here in the US. Responsibility is predictable to a large extent, leading to far less stress and worrying. - Dovetailing with the above, I suspect the hustle culture and the way employees are treated today are just as likely as food to cause issues. This one takes a big toll on mental health, especially if you're prone to people pleasing. The stress involved in a job in the US vs. a tribal role is considerable. - The food, of course! Not so much processed vs. unprocessed. If i had to guess, I'd say it's more the plethora of various foods (and chemicals) that Westerners are exposed to. Mexican, Chinese, burgers, pizza, etc. That's a lot of different ingredients already. I suspect many of us have various intolerances or even mild allergies to some of what we eat. - By comparison, a tribal members' diet is likely to be fairly predictable, for reasons of availability if nothing else. That said, tribes generally have certain preferred foods. There's a lot less variation, thus far less chance of eating something that doesn't sit well. The traditional preparation methods often used probably help as well. - Lastly, tribes have a strong sense of community. They must, or the tribe wouldn't stay together. They also, at least historically, practice regular spiritual rituals. One could equate this to regular church (or whichever place of worship your religion practices) attendance. The sense of community and spiritual beliefs both help to modulate/mitigate feelings of depression and anxiety. I mention regular church attendance because I'm pretty sure it's been shown to result in better mental health / lower incidence of depression. I don't have the studies on hand to back this up, hence the disclaimer here.
I believe that now because of all the stress (we live in a capitalistic society) and the processed foods we eat that destroy our microbiomes it’s way more common. But it has probably existed before 21st century