Keto for IBS?

The keto diet has gained popularity in recent years. Many people have found that it leads to quick and quite dramatic weight loss. If you’ve been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), it can be an attractive option as a low carbohydrate diet. This article will cover everything you need to know about keto for IBS.

What is IBS?

Irritable bowel syndrome, commonly referred to as IBS, is a condition in which patients experience bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, and stomach pains or cramping.

Syndromes are umbrella terms for a group of symptoms that are commonly seen together but don’t have a definite cause. Since the cause is often unknown, treatment plans are difficult to figure out.

Some of the things that appear to cause IBS-like symptoms include:

Infections, viruses, or other illnesses
Genetics
Stress
Use of certain medications especially antibiotics
Changes to the balance of the gut microbiome
Immune system activity
Diet
SIBO

IBS Treatment Options

Doctors often try to treat IBS with medications, dietary interventions, and lifestyle changes.

One of the most common things with IBS is figuring out what foods trigger symptoms. Many people will find they have one or a few trigger foods. Caffeine, spicy foods, alcohol, or overly processed foods can be quick and easy ones to rule out. While taking these foods out, people should focus on getting slightly more fiber and fluids.

If this is not enough for symptom management, doctors will look into a more strict diet called the low-FODMAP diet. The low-FODMAP diet limits short-chain fermentable carbs that your body has difficulty absorbing.

FODMAP-containing foods can include wheat, dairy, and some fruits and vegetables. This diet can become very restrictive and if done over too long of a period, it can put you at risk for nutrient deficiencies.

Following the low-FODMAP diet can become tedious and somewhat bland. So, people look to other diet methods that restrict their carb intake while allowing for some diversity. Some of those diets include gluten-free and paleo. Since these diets are easier to follow, people would look to keto for IBS.

What is the keto diet?

The ketogenic, or keto, diet is a diet that has been used for many years. Doctors in the 1920s began prescribing the keto diet for epileptic patients. It was a way for them to mimic the metabolism of fasting while still allowing their patients to eat. It was noted that the metabolism change during fasting was replicated when people abstained from eating high-carbohydrate foods.

As long as ketonemia (a significant increase in ketones circulating in the blood) was achieved, they achieved the desired metabolic changes. This gave the diet its name as the ketone-producing diet later referred to as the ketogenic or keto diet.

Prescription of the keto diet died out as anti-epileptic drugs came on the market. There was a later resurgence of the keto diet for epilepsy when it appeared on a Dateline episode for the Charlie Foundation.

The goal of the keto diet is to switch the body’s usual energy source from carbs to fats. When your body has fewer carbs to pull from for energy it switches over to fats as the source of energy. This is why people drop weight quickly. Doctors have prescribed it for people looking to lose weight or better manage their blood sugar. The switch from carbs to fats changes how the body uses insulin and sugars.

The typical breakdown for the keto diet is as follows:

Fats comprise 55-60% of the dietary intake.
Proteins make up about 30-35% of dietary intake.
Carbs are only 5-10% of dietary intake.

Since keto is low-carb, which people with IBS need, it has become an area of potential for IBS.

Keto for IBS: A good diet option?

While both the low-FODMAP and keto diets are considered low-carb, keto cuts out foods that are also high in fiber while adding in high amounts of fats. There isn’t a lot of research on keto for IBS but we will explore what is out there so you have all the information you need to make a decision.

One of the only studies on humans looked at a very low-carbohydrate diet (VLCD). Patients with diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D) were put on a 4-week VLCD after consuming a standard diet for 2 weeks.

During this study, the breakdown of food intakes was as follows:

2 Week Standard Diet:

55% of calories were from carbohydrates
30% from fat
15% from protein

4 Week VLCD:

51% of calories were from fat
45% from protein
4% from carbohydrates

Researchers tracked changes in abdominal pain, quality of life, and stool habits. 10 people (77%) said every category had a noticeable improvement.

While this is a significant percentage, the authors did note some limitations to this study.

The study initially had 17 participants, however, 3 dropped out because they found the diet difficult to adhere to.
All participants were considered overweight or obese. So they do not know how this would work in patients who were not overweight or obese.
All participants were women. This does not give a robust understanding of how these dietary changes affect everyone.
There was no control group. Without a control group, we do not know if this was merely a placebo effect.
This was a small study sample. So the effects may not come out with such a high percentage when done with a larger group.

Most other studies have been done on mice and other animals and have had skewed results.

So while this one study does look promising for the keto diet for IBS-D patients, it does not look at patients with IBS-C or IBS-M. The keto diet being high in fats can be a cause for concern for these groups, especially considering the low quantities of fiber intake. If people are already constipated, removing fiber from the diet can just add more fuel to the flames.

If you have IBS and want to try the keto diet, your best bet is to talk to your physician to see if it would be right for you. They can help you adapt the diet to provide you with the facts and how it would fit into your unique situation.

As an alternative, talk to your doctor about taking Atrantil. Three studies have been done on Atrantil for people with bloating, abdominal discomfort and change in bowel habits, which have all demonstrated a significant benefit from taking the supplement. Grab your bottle here!

Looking for more information about IBS Diets? Check out our blogs here for tips and recipes!

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