As popular as the Ketogenic diet is, Especially those available and affordable on the McDonalds menu prices, a lot of people are not aware of whether it may be helpful for people suffering from IBS. What is IBS? — Irritable Bowel Syndrome (know as IBS) is a very common disorder that majorly affects large intestine. The signs and symptoms of IBS varies, however they include; bloating, cramping, abdominal pain, gas, diarrhea or constipation and in some cases both. IBS is quite common but only a small number of people suffering from IBS actually have severe signs and symptoms. Truth is some people can manage to control their symptoms by improving their lifestyle, avoiding stress and partaking in certain diets like a low carb diet for IBS.
CAUSES OF IBS
There is really no precise cause of IBS known but however there are a few factors that seem to play a role. Some of these factors include;
Moving forward, keto diet may be a solution for IBS but very little research has actually looked into the benefits of the keto diet for IBS. However, some studies regardless of how little have shown some positive results of how patients who were put on the keto diet saw improvements on their IBS. One study found that IBS patients who suffer mainly from diarrhea (IBS-D) experienced symptomatic improvement after going on a very low-carbohydrate diet ( keto diet). These patients experienced improved stool consistency, reduced abdominal pain and improved quality of life.
It's fact that just maybe the keto diet which is not a regular low carb diet can help improve the symptoms of individuals suffering from IBS, but what happens when in some cases it actually makes it's worse. This is why there is little fact to back up whether or not the keto diet can actually improve the symptoms of IBS because in some cases the effect of the diet can actually worse the IBS. This ketogenic diet constipation can lead to sharp stomach pain and lots of irregular bowel movements. The connection between ketogenic diet and constipation will be detailed below;
KETO DIET CONSTIPATION
Partaking in a low carb diet like the keto diet in it self will not make you constipated. A low carb diet like the ketogenic diet can still very much supply enough fiber, fluids and necessary probiotics that help with normal bowel movements. However, then problem with following a Keto diet, Expecially those offered by restaurants on their affordable food menu prices, they sometimes makes meeting ones fiber needs a bit more difficult as it excludes many fiber rich foods like legumes, whole grains, Stacey fruits and vegetables. Also, low carb diets like the keto diet can lead to an unstable gut flora due to higher fat intake. Another issue with the keto diet is the popularly know sickness called the keto flu. It is not exactly a sickness or flu but it's just a common side effect of going low carb. This set of flu-like symptoms usually happens during the induction phase ( ketosis week one) of a ketogenic diet and includes headaches, fatigue, muscle cramping, brain fog, nausea, and keto bloating and constipation. The keto flu occurs as a result of the strong diuretic effect of the keto diet during the first weeks, this means you tend to urinate more. With this increased urine output, you also tend to lose electrolytes and this increases your risk of dehydration, and dehydration often leads to, as you expected, constipation.
