More common in women than men, affecting about 6 percent of the population, is I.B.S., short for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

The condition is often a throw-away diagnosis when gastroenterologists cannot figure out why you have the debilitating symptoms associated with it. Common symptoms include abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation.

Most treatments fail to work, and often, patients have food sensitivities or may have lactose intolerance.

Scientists are unsure why people develop the condition, but this may be because I.B.S. may be different in different people.

Treatments often include managing the symptoms with changes to your diet or taking medications, which can include over-the-counter laxatives and antidiarrheals; certain antidepressants; and other prescription medications, like linaclotide and lubiprostone, both of which can increase fluid in the gut and the movements of your intestines. 

Many of these treatments do little to solve the condition, but there is new research in the Lancet that suggests the problem may begin in the gut. Interestingly enough, we are learning that many of the diseases and conditions we have that make us ill or create inflammation in the body begin in the gut.

It is currently understood that following a low-FODMAP diet — which involves avoiding foods like wheat-based products, legumes, some nuts, certain sweeteners, most dairy products, and many fruits and vegetables — can reduce I.B.S. symptoms in most people. This is a difficult-to-follow process of elimination diet. The ALCAT test may also help identify which foods you have sensitivities to and help you overcome many of these to improve how your body feels after meals.

The trial, conducted at a hospital clinic in Sweden, included 241 women and 53 men with moderate to severe I.B.S. They found that out of three groups, one on a low FODMAP diet, a second on medication, and a third on a low-carbohydrate diet high in fat, the medication group was least effective, followed by the carbohydrate group and then the low-FODMAP group, which was the most effective.

The conclusion is that dietary interventions are the most effective way to treat I.B.S. Read the article below for full details