IBS and IBD are two types of digestive disorders. On Instagram @AndreaHardyRD, I talk all about how important it is to know the difference between IBS and IBD so that it can be managed appropriately.
What’s the difference between IBS and IBD?⠀
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They often get confused, but they’re two very different conditions! ⠀
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IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is a functional gut disorder (now also recognized as a disorder of the gut-brain axis) – meaning there is nothing structurally wrong with the gut, rather it’s not functioning as it should.⠀
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IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) on the other hand is an autoimmune disorder, causing inflammation and damage to the bowel. ⠀
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Many people with IBS believe there is inflammation and damage to the gut, when in fact there isn’t (though it sure can feel like it sometimes!).⠀
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IBS can be managed quite effectively with diet, though there are plenty of other interventions, like medication and psychological intervention to help.⠀
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IBD on the other hand requires medication management to get inflammation under control and allow the gut to heal. Interestingly, there are some new dietary therapies (we can think of them as drug-like nutrition interventions) that appear to work as well as some drugs. This includes exclusive enteral nutrition, and the Crohn’s disease Exclusion Diet + partial enteral nutrition. They’re fairly new, and the body of research is small, but they hold great promise as an alternative if someone can’t tolerate or doesn’t adequately respond to drugs.⠀
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At the end of the day, nutrition can help manage the symptoms of both conditions, and is looking promising to treat IBD! ⠀
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If you need help with IBS or IBD – my team @ignite.nutrition.inc is amazing!
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