10 ingredients to cut out for a healthy intestinal transit
Neil Goffart
Neil Goffart
Do you often feel bloated? Do you swing between constipation and diarrhoea? Looking after your gut microbiota is not always easy when it means following a diet or set meal plans. So how about we share the list of the 10 foods to avoid in order to prevent intestinal transit disorders ?
Intestinal transit is a process carried out in the intestinal tract, by the intestines and the colon, to move the food held in the stomach towards the rectum, so that it can be eliminated there in the form of stools.
What exactly happens inside our body ? Once swallowed, food travels from the oesophagus down to the stomach. From there, it is transformed by the digestive enzymes and becomes nothing more than a paste, known as chyme. In the duodenum, the chyme undergoes chemical digestion in the intestine, because of the acidity of the bile, intestinal and pancreatic juices. That is when all the nutrients contained in food are absorbed by the mucous membranes. Whatever the body has not taken up is finally expelled through the rectum.
Unfortunately, good foods are sometimes poorly digested by the intestines, and vice versa, which leaves our transit out of sorts. Food stagnates, ferments and releases abnormal gas that causes intestinal spasms and bloating. Constipation and/or diarrhoea may follow. These discomforts rarely all occur at the same time, except in extreme cases, and are part of what are known as transit disorders.
As we were explaining, intestinal transit disorders correspond to an impairment of the ability to move food through the digestive tract, known as intestinal motility. The causes can be many, from psychological problems to genuine digestive diseases, such as pancreatic cancer for example. The features, however, are often the same : constipation, diarrhoea, bloating.
Everyone knows it, having been through it at least once. But do you know what constipation really is ? It is in fact a slowing of transit, when stools are delayed or too difficult to pass.
What are the causes of constipation ? Most of the time, the main factor is a diet low in fibre, often through a lack of fruit, vegetables and cereals in the daily menu. The other origins are stress, taking medicines such as morphine, and insufficient physical activity. Of course, medical reasons can temporarily or permanently alter transit, such as hormonal changes during pregnancy or certain neurological, endocrine or metabolic conditions, for example hypothyroidism.
Be careful : holding back from going to the toilet for too long increases the risk of intestinal disorders.
Unlike constipation, diarrhoea is characterised by an increase in the frequency and volume of stools and is often accompanied by a change in texture (more liquid). Acute diarrhoea is diarrhoea that lasts less than 2 weeks.
What are the causes of diarrhoea ? A diet too rich in fibre, a food infection (bacterium or parasite), a viral (gastroenteritis) or inflammatory (Crohn's) disease, and certain antibiotics.
That feeling of discomfort and unease, like a twisting of the gut, is very common in cases of intestinal transit disorders. It happens most often after meals, but it can sometimes be persistent. It is frequently followed by audible reactions in the digestive tract, similar to gas. Along with stools, gas is in fact the best way to relieve bloating.
Intestinal transit disorders vs. irritable bowel syndrome[1], what is the difference ?
The condition known as irritable bowel syndrome affects close to 20% of the population and is thought to stem from a hypersensitivity of the digestive system, rather than from a stress factor, as studies believed until very recently. Even so, functional bowel disorder is sometimes due to an aggravated intestinal infection.
Intestinal transit disorders are in fact one of the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, just after abdominal pain (spasms or cramps). But be careful : suffering from transit problems does not necessarily mean an irritable bowel. Whether these signs herald the condition rests on their duration : they must occur at least one day a week over the past 3 months and for a minimum of 6 months.
Research[2] indicates that patients suffering from irritable bowel receive signals in their brain from their gut that differ from ours. These particularities now serve as the basis for new treatments.
Whether you suffer from transit disorders or from irritable bowel syndrome, the first reflex is to take care of your diet. Are set meal plans too hard for you to keep to ? Start by banishing these foods :
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
There is no universal list of foods to remove in order to improve intestinal transit. Tolerance depends in particular on the type of disorder — constipation, diarrhoea, bloating or irritable bowel syndrome — and on each individual. Certain foods rich in fermentable carbohydrates, some polyols, alcohol or very fatty meals can heighten symptoms in some individuals. Systematic, prolonged exclusion of entire food groups is not recommended, however, without an identified reason.
No, gluten does not have to be removed systematically in cases of bloating or transit disorders. Avoiding it is essential in coeliac disease and may be relevant in certain wheat sensitivities after assessment. In many people suffering from irritable bowel, however, studies suggest that wheat fructans, which belong to the FODMAPs, may contribute more to symptoms than gluten itself. A gluten-free diet is therefore not a general recommendation for transit.
Not systematically. Dairy products can bring on digestive symptoms in people with lactose maldigestion, but they do not have to be removed for everyone with an irregular transit. Sweeteners, likewise, form a very heterogeneous family. Certain fermentable polyols can trigger gas or diarrhoea at high doses. Recent work also shows that some non-nutritive sweeteners can alter the microbiota, but their long-term clinical consequences remain to be clarified.
Soluble fibres, and psyllium in particular, have interesting clinical data behind them. The joint AGA–ACG recommendations of 2023 consider fibre a first-line option in chronic idiopathic constipation and specify that, among the fibres assessed, psyllium is the one whose efficacy appears best supported. Any increase in fibre must nonetheless be gradual and accompanied by sufficient hydration, since increasing it too quickly can cause more gas or bloating.
In some people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, a low-FODMAP diet can reduce digestive symptoms, particularly bloating and stool problems. A network meta-analysis of 13 randomised trials covering 944 participants ranked it among the most effective dietary interventions for overall IBS symptoms. It is, however, a temporary strategy followed by a phase of reintroduction and personalisation, and not a list of foods to banish for good.
Occasional problems are common, but medical advice is indicated when they persist, change abruptly or come with warning signs. These include blood in the stools, unintentional weight loss, anaemia, significant night-time symptoms, fever, or a significant family history of inflammatory bowel disease or digestive cancer. Persistent constipation or diarrhoea should therefore not be automatically attributed to diet or to the microbiota.
[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27159638/
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30023410/
[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25231862/
[4] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30669509/
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