To drastically reduce or eliminate colitis, it is necessary to follow a customised diet that excludes the foods that trigger the intestinal disorders and abdominal pain typical of this condition. Along with the diet, a significant drop in stress levels will help
You can eliminate colitis or drastically reduce it by acting on your diet and lowering your daily stress levels. To understand the size of the problem, one only has to consider that about 10-15% of the adult population worldwide is affected by colitis, technically called irritable bowel syndrome or IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). Colitis a set of functional bowel disorders characterised by diffuse abdominal pain arising in association with a change in alvus, stool shape and abdominal bloating. The alvus may be diarrhoeal, but obstinate constipation is often present and sometimes alternating constipation and diarrhoea. The syndrome may be associated with headache, anxiety, depression and is especially common among women.
An accurate anamnesis and a precise clinical evaluation are indispensable to rule out other pathologies, confirm the diagnosis and prescribe the right treatments, such as the anti-stress relaxation.
Colitis, how it manifests itself
One can speak of colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, if abdominal pain or discomfort is present for at least three days a month for the last three months, and if it has two of the following characteristics:
-pain relieved by defecation
-pains that occur together with a change in bowel movements
-pains occurring together with a change in stool consistency
How to recognise colitis
The presence of one or more of the conditions listed below may be indicative for the diagnosis:
-at least three evacuations per week
-more than three evacuations per day
-hard, goat-like faeces
-soft or liquid faeces
-effort during evacuation
-stimulus to defecate
-feeling of incomplete bowel emptying
-presence of mucus in stools
-abdominal tension or distension
Causes of colitis: can a targeted diet soothe symptoms?
The causes of colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, are not yet well known, however, various factors such as genetics, traumatic events in childhood (infections, abuse, trauma), may predispose some people to the onset of the disease.
One of the ways to understand what colitis is is to keep in mind that there is an increased gut response to stress. Stress is defined as anything that can stimulate the gastrointestinal tract: diet, hormonal changes, physical activity, psychological/social stress. Stress in turn is defined as a subjective or objective disturbance of homeostasis, i.e. the balance between mind, brain and body. It can exist even in the absence of conscious sensations of its presence, such as anxiety or panic.
The types of stress that influence the symptoms of colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, can be physical (infections and surgery) and/or psychological (job loss, divorce, bereavement, etc.). Stress causes an increase in both intestinal motility and sensitivity in all subjects, but more so in people suffering from colitis.
Colitis: a targeted diet to reduce or eliminate it
The effects of diet and nutrition on colitis vary from person to person. No food causes colitis, however, it is known that some foods stimulate intestinal reactions that can worsen the symptoms in particularly predisposed people. The support and guidance of a specialist is therefore necessary to get rid of colitis.
For example, meals that are too large or too rich in fat, coffee, caffeine, alcohol, can cause abdominal cramps and diarrhoea. Or ingesting an excess of certain sugars that are poorly absorbed by the intestine, such as sorbitol (used as a sweetener in many foods or diet sweets and chewing gum and naturally occurring in honey and some fruits) which can also cause cramping and diarrhoea. Eating excessive amounts of gas-producing foods (beans, sultanas) can increase intestinal gas content and cause bloating.
Colitis patients report that certain foods trigger problems on certain days and not on others, creating a sense of unpredictability, insecurity and contradiction. The advice is to keep a food diary for a few weeks; in this way one can identify the foods that trigger the symptoms.
People with lactase deficiency may suffer the same symptoms as people with colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, when they consume milk and dairy products. The treatment in that case is to avoid or reduce milk and its derivatives in the diet as much as possible.
The same worsening of symptoms occurs in people who are intolerant to fructose, symptoms that are accentuated when eating foods that contain fructose in excess of glucose.
The intake of certain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the intestine and lead to gas formation triggers the symptoms of colitis. These carbohydrates are called FODMAPs (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols). They include fruits with fructose in excess of glucose (apples and pears), foods with fructans (onions, asparagus, artichokes, wheat), foods containing raffinose (lentils, cabbage), and finally foods containing sorbitol (prunes, artificial sweeteners). A diet that eliminates or drastically reduces all these foods can alleviate the symptoms of colitis.