You're not pregnant and you haven't gained weight, but your
jeans are straining at the waist. So what's going on?
Irritable bowel syndrome
Could be the cause if: You've been bloated on and off for a
long time and have also experienced symptoms including pain,
constipation and/or bouts of diarrhoea.
A common bowel condition, IBS is a functional disorder, which
means there's nothing wrong with the structure of the bowel
itself, but the way the gut works is abnormal.
Peter Whorwell, professor of medicine and gastroenterology at
the University of Manchester, says, "We think the gut is
over-sensitive in IBS sufferers so its normal processes cause
the symptoms." Bloating is one of the most disruptive side
effects of IBS.
Some women go up a couple of dress sizes and even need
different clothes depending on whether or not they are
bloated. For many, it tends to worsen towards the evening, so
it can disrupt your social life. There's no cure for IBS, but
you can manage the symptoms.
"Cutting out cereal fibre eases symptoms by between 30 per
cent and 40 per cent in the majority of sufferers," says
Professor Whorwell.
This means avoiding whole meal breads, oats, muesli,
digestive biscuits, cereal bars and all breakfast cereals
other than Rice Krispies, but white bread, cakes, cream
crackers and most biscuits are fine. Try doing this for three
months to see if it helps. Probiotics may also ease symptoms.
Try yoghurts, as the probiotic strain they contain has been
shown to help IBS.
