IBS causes belly pain along with changes in bowel habits, either diarrhea or constipation. GERD causes acid reflux, commonly referred to as heartburn. Having one of these conditions can be bad enough, but many people have to deal with both. Several studies have found a strong link between GERD and IBS. A study published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology looked at data on more than 6,000 people and found that about 63 percent of those diagnosed with IBS had GERD symptoms, too. The research also showed that having both GERD and IBS was more common in women and that having both conditions made all symptoms worse. A study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology found that the odds of having GERD symptoms was 4 times higher for people living with IBS than those without IBS. “Is there a link between IBS and GERD? Absolutely,” says Maged Rizk, MD, a gastroenterologist and the director of the Chronic Abdominal Pain Center at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “I see it all the time in our clinic. If you combine the results of all the studies, GERD is probably about 4 times more common in people with IBS.”
How Are IBS and GERD Linked?
Both IBS and GERD are extremely common. You may be diagnosed with IBS, which affects up to 20 percent of people, if you have symptoms of abdominal pain at least three times a month for at least three months, and that pain cannot be explained by any disease or injury. GERD causes acid reflux and regurgitation; about 7 percent of people with the condition experience these symptoms on a daily basis. “The links between GERD and IBS are mostly hypothetical but probably involve an increased sensitivity of the digestive system,” Dr. Rizk says. “People with GERD and IBS become uncomfortable at a lower threshold than people without these conditions. We call that visceral hypersensitivity.” Another link between IBS and GERD symptoms may be gastrointestinal motility, referring to the process of moving food through the digestive system. If the movements are disordered, it’s called motility disorder. Some experts now consider both IBS and GERD to be motility disorders. “Stress and food sensitivities may be other links,” Rizk says. “There is a strong link between mental stress and digestive stress. Stress is a known trigger for both IBS and GERD symptoms.”
Treatment Options for GERD and IBS
Rizk says that diet and lifestyle changes that reduce stress should benefit both IBS and GERD. “An elimination diet that starts with very bland and simple foods and then introduces new food groups in stages may help identify foods that trigger symptoms,” Rizk says. “Each condition may also be treated separately with medications. Antacid and acid-blocking medications are often used for GERD. Antispasmodic medications and anti-anxiety medications may be used for IBS.” Some studies suggest that following a low-FODMAP diet helps improve IBS symptoms. This involves eliminating foods that are high in certain carbohydrates called FODMAPs, or fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. A review published in January 2017 in the journal Gastroenterology & Hepatology found that 50 to 86 percent of people with IBS show improvement in their symptoms on a low-FODMAP diet. Trigger foods for GERD include fatty or fried foods, tomato sauce, chocolate, mint, garlic, onions, alcohol, and caffeine. Stress management and relaxation techniques to calm anxiety may also help ease symptoms of IBS and GERD. Maintaining a healthy weight, quitting smoking, avoiding tight clothing, elevating the head of your bed, not lying down after a meal, and eating food slowly can all reduce the frequency of acid reflux. RELATED: The Business of a Diet Additional reporting by Ashley Welch.
