Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): Managing Your Digestive Health

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder characterised by recurrent abdominal pain associated with altered bowel habits — diarrhoea, constipation, or alternating between both — without an identifiable structural or biochemical cause. It is one of the most common conditions presenting to gastroenterology clinics globally and in Korea, affecting all age groups and both sexes, though it is more common in women.

IBS is now understood to involve dysregulation of the gut-brain axis — the bidirectional communication system between the enteric nervous system (gut's own nervous system) and the central nervous system. Psychological factors — stress, anxiety, and depression — strongly influence IBS symptoms, and Korea's high-pressure work and academic culture is a recognised contributing factor. Dietary triggers are important: FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols) — found in foods like onions, garlic, wheat, and certain fruits — ferment in the colon and worsen bloating and pain in many IBS patients. Spicy Korean cuisine (gochujang, kimchi) can also be a personal trigger for some patients.

Management is multimodal. The low-FODMAP diet — developed by researchers at Monash University — reduces IBS symptoms in approximately 70% of patients and can be effectively implemented with dietitian guidance. Gut-directed hypnotherapy and CBT address the gut-brain axis. Medications target specific symptom subtypes: antispasmodics for pain, loperamide for diarrhoea-predominant IBS, laxatives for constipation-predominant IBS. Korea's gastroenterology centres offer IBS assessment and dietitian-guided FODMAP programmes.