BOWEL DISORDERS

* Chronic Constipation
* Chronic Diarrhea
* Dyspepsia
* Irritable Bowel Syndrome
* Leaky Gut Syndrome

Functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders affect millions of people of all ages -- men, women, and children. They are the most commonly presented gastrointestinal illnesses seen by physicians in primary care or gastroenterology. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and dyspepsia are the most common, notes the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders.

As the international foundation further notes, a functional disorder does not show any evidence of an organic or physical disease, and the cause of a functional GI disorder doesn't show up in a blood test or an x-ray. The disorders are diagnosed based on symptoms, and often require tests to rule out the likelihood of another disease.

It is now apparent that functional disorders increase morbidity and diminish the patient's quality of life. The social and economic costs of gastrointestinal disorders are enormous. The symptoms of these disorders can cause discomfort, ranging from inconvenience to deep personal distress. For those with severe symptoms the disorders can be debilitating, leaving them unable to fully participate in life and work.

Pesticide Residues, One of the Factors Causing Functional Bowel Disorders

The causes and mechanisms involved in functional bowel disorders are numerous, subject to controversy and often hypothetical. However, research now suggests that pesticide residues in food might be one cause resulting in such disorders. Researchers showed that animals ingesting daily low doses of pesticide exhibited morphological and functional alterations associated with these disorders.

Food contaminants could cause inflammation of the digestive mucosa associated with alterations in painful sensitivity. One study showed that chronic ingestion (three weeks) of a low dose of a pesticide, diquat, in rats resulted in morphological alterations to the digestive mucosa similar to those described in patients afflicted by functional bowel disorders. Moreover, chronic ingestion resulted in painful hypersensitivity to gastric distension, which mainly characterizes functional bowel disorders. The doses used corresponded to those tolerated in agricultural products by the French and American authorities.