But what exactly causes these symptoms in the first place?
IBS affects the gut and more specifically the large bowel or colon.
First, let's look at how the digestive system works.
When you eat food, it passes through your digestive tract, including your stomach and small bowel, before it reaches the large bowel.
During this journey, food is being broken down and absorbed into the body.
To keep the food moving through the system, the wall of bowel squeezes in on itself in a rhythmic way, slowly pushing its contents through.
In IBS, the gut wall becomes more sensitive and excitable.The contractions sometimes occur too quickly causing diarrhea, or they occur too slowly causing constipation.
We do not know exactly what causes IBS, but a number of possible triggers have been identified, including stress and emotion, infections such as gastroenteritis and certain medications.
bowel 肠
gut 肠道
colon 结肠
digestive tract 消化道
small bowel 小肠
large bowel 大肠
absorb 吸收
The wall of bowel 肠壁
Squeeze in on itself 自由收缩，向内挤压
rhythmic 有规律的
contraction 收缩
