BACKGROUND AND AIMS Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most frequent functional gastrointestinal disorders, having its subtypes related to the predominant bowel pattern: IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D), IBS with constipation (IBS-C), mixed IBS (IBS-M) or alternating IBS (IBS-A). Some patients alternate between subtypes (IBS-A). We looked for the prevalence of alternation between subtypes in...

Background: Probiotic potential (efficacy and safety) of Bacillus coagulans SNZ 1969 has been studied in patients with constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C) and-diarrhea predominant IBS (IBS-D).Methods: This randomized, double-blind, two-arm, placebo-controlled parallel study randomized 92 (1:1) to receive either 500 million CFU (treatment group) or placebo (placebo twice da...

OBJECTIVES We conducted a large-scale Internet survey of 10,000 subjects across Japan to determine irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) prevalence. (J-ROAD: Japanese research of abdominal symptoms for IBS) METHODS: An equal number of male and female subjects, aged at least 20 years, were surveyed by questionnaire. The prevalence of IBS and its subtypes were determined using Rome III criteria, and the...

BACKGROUND Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a digestive system disorder with an unknown etiology. Serotonin has a key role in the secretion and motility of the intestine. Polymorphism in serotonin re-uptake transporter (SERT or SLC6A4) gene may have a functional role in the gut of patients with IBS. The aims of the present study were to investigate the association between SLC6A4 gene polymorph...

BACKGROUND Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) often relate symptoms to the intake of certain foods. This study assesses differences in diet in subjects with and without IBS. METHODS The cross-sectional, population-based study was conducted in Norway in 2001. Out of 11078 invited subjects, 4621 completed a survey about abdominal complaints and intake of common food items. IBS and IBS...