Abnormalities of GI transit in bloated irritable bowel syndrome: effect of bran on transit and symptoms

Abstract

Bran accelerates small bowel transit and ascending colon clearance without causing symptoms in controls. Small bowel transit is rapid in IBS patients with bloating and, unlike in healthy control subjects, cannot be further accelerated by bran, which nevertheless aggravates symptoms of pain and bloating. We speculate that bran-induced bloating may originate in the colon rather than the small bowel.