Suffer from pain in your lower abdomen? Think it might be colitis? Read our overview of the typical symptoms, causes and ways of relieving it.
Colitis is inflammation of the lining of the colon, the part of the gut which goes from the small intestine to the rectum.
It can be acute (occurring suddenly and developing rapidly) or chronic (with persistent effects that usually last more than three months).
It is not a disease as such, but a collection of very varied problems and disorders that lead to inflammation. Provided it is treated quickly, colitis is not usually serious.
Colitis always presents as problems with intestinal transit: diarrhoea or constipation, abdominal pain (which may or may not persist), bloating … (1) Sometimes, it also involves weight loss and fatigue.
On a biological level, there is usually hyperleukocytosis (a raised white blood cell count) and elevated CRP (a marker of inflammation). An endoscopy helps to provide a conclusive diagnosis.
Additional symptoms may be present depending on the cause of the colitis.
Persistent diarrhoea can lead to deficiency in certain vitamins due to impaired nutrient absorption and decreased production of vitamins B and K by colon bacterial flora.
Acute colitis can be caused by several factors:
There are three main causes of chronic colitis:
Ways of preventing colitis and alleviating its symptoms vary widely depending on the cause:
Several clinical studies (3-4) are looking at the potential benefits of probiotics on the intestinal flora of the colon.
Those containing bifidobacteria and lactobacilli are the most promising (probiotic supplements targeted at the colon, such as Colon Friendly, usually include the best strains).
The probiotic Saccharomyces Boulardii, meanwhile, is the most widely-documented yeast in the case of diarrhoea. Probiotics are found in a number of foods such as kefir, tempeh, miso and yogurt.
People who suffer from chronic or recurrent colitis are at risk of deficiency in certain vitamins: their gut flora produces fewer vitamins (especially B group vitamins), absorption via the intestinal barrier is less effective and loss of vitamins can be more significant in the case of bloody diarrhoea.
Supplementation with vitamins and minerals may therefore be considered after consultation with a health professional.
Recommended daily amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, found in oily fish, are often far from adequate, yet they do not just support heart and brain health.
They also appear to have a close link with gut flora (5).
It may therefore be worth considering increasing omega-3 intake (preferably via a supplement with excellent digestibility such as Super Oméga-3). It’s important, however, to restrict other fat intake, particularly saturated fats which can lead to ‘fatty diarrhoea’.
Curcumin is a bioactive compound in turmeric which helps to reduce inflammation and support the immune system, of which gut flora is an integral part.
It may be helpful insofar as inflammation of the lining of the colon contributes to dysregulation of the immune system, promoting the selection of pathogenic bacteria over commensal or non-harmful bacteria.
The most bioavailable forms (such as that found in Curcumin Solution) are those most often recommended for colitis.
It goes without saying that all these natural solutions should only be considered under the supervision of a health professional (a gastroenterologist, for example).
References
Menni, C., Zierer, J., Pallister, T. et al. Omega-3 fatty acids correlate with gut microbiome diversity and production of N-carbamylglutamate in middle aged and elderly women. Sci Rep 7, 11079 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-10382-2
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