Women get IBS pain more than men due to hormone levels, study shows

Women are more prone to experiencing pain from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) due to their hormones, a recent study has found. Prior research has indicated that the chronic condition, which triggers abdominal pain, bloating, and digestive discomfort, is more prevalent in women than men.

American researchers have now uncovered that the female sexual and reproductive hormone, oestrogen, activates previously unidentified pathways in the colon that can induce pain and heighten the female gut’s sensitivity to certain foods. When male mice were administered oestrogen to replicate the levels found in females, their gut pain sensitivity rose to match that of the females.

The research team at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), believe their findings, published in the Journal Science, could pave the way for improved IBS treatments. Study co-senior author Professor Holly Ingraham stated: “Instead of just saying young women suffer from IBS, we wanted rigorous science explaining why. We’ve answered that question, and in the process identified new potential drug targets.”

The study also provides insight into why low-FODMAP diets, which exclude certain fermentable foods such as onions, garlic, honey, wheat, and beans, benefit some IBS patients. It also explains why women’s gut symptoms often vary with their menstrual cycles , reports the Mirror.

Study co-senior author Professor David Julius, who received a Nobel Prize in 2021 for his research into pain sensation, explained: “We knew the gut has a sophisticated pain-sensing system, but this study reveals how hormones can dial that sensitivity up by tapping into this system through an interesting and potent cellular connection.”

Earlier studies had suggested that oestrogen was responsible for the elevated incidence of IBS in women, though the mechanism remained unclear. To determine how oestrogen might be implicated, UCSF scientists first had to identify precisely where the hormone was acting within the gut.

Article source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/2147759/women-get-ibs-pain-more-than-men-due-hormone-levels-study-shows