Time to quit?

Is smoking bad for your gut health?

Hot off the press in this week’s Medical Journal of Australia is a new research paper exploring the link between smoking and two common gut conditions: irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia.

Definitions first. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gut disorder that leads to pain, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation, with no obvious cause. Functional dyspepsia is as fun as it sounds! It plagues patients with recurring signs and symptoms of indigestion that again have no obvious cause. It is often associated with eating and leads to pain or burning in the stomach, bloating, excessive belching or nausea after meals. The two conditions are often found together. Double trouble!

Back to smoking. We all know that smoking isn’t great for your health. Smoking is the largest cause of preventable illness and death in Australia. Smoking causes a range of cancers including colon cancer, as well as heart disease, stroke and emphysema. But is smoking also bad for your gut?

The research by Laureate Professor Nick Talley and colleagues summarises the results of three studies undertaken in Sweden to assess if smoking is a risk factor for IBS and functional dyspepsia.

The researchers found that heavy smoking (more than 20 cigarettes a day) increased both the odds of IBS-D (diarrhoea predominant IBS subtype) AND dyspepsia by two-fold relative to non-smokers. It also increased farting (which they politely refer to as flatus, so it seems less offensive). However, smoking was not associated with other IBS sub-types such as IBS-C (constipation predominant) or IBS‐M (diarrhoea and constipation combo).

The key takeaway is that quitting smoking will have immediate benefits for your gut health. If you need support to quit, talk to your GP or check out the QUIT website and Quitline 037848.

Good luck! You’ve gut this!