Recently the question was asked in the forum - "What causes your flares?" With nearly 100 posts, the responses to the question were extremely varied. IBD is so individualized that what bothered one person was just fine for another.

     One of the offenders mentioned the most was popcorn. Popcorn is a type of insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in the intestine, and it bulks up stools and makes them looser. Some people may find that insoluble fiber is tolerable in small amounts or along with other foods.

     Another food that was mentioned was French fries, or fried food in general. From numerous studies and reports in the media, most of us know that fried foods are generally not healthy. They contain large amounts of fat, which can contribute to diarrhea when it passes through the intestine undigested (it also causes stool to 'float').

     Nuts were another trigger that was mentioned frequently. Not only are nuts high in insoluble fiber and fat, but they are also a common allergy. It can be difficult to avoid nuts - they are a common additive to breads, candies, cakes, and many other foods. Since they can cause violent allergic reactions, many foods containing nuts are labeled 'may contain nuts or peanuts'. In some cases restaurants will also note that a food (such as a salad) may contain some nuts or peanuts.

     Smoking cigarettes was mentioned as another trigger. Cigarettes (or, closer to the point, nicotine) have a very strange role in IBD. Nicotine has been shown to help symptoms of ulcerative colitis in some studies, but is a well-known irritant for Crohn's disease. This doesn't meant that people with UC should take up smoking, but people with Crohn's might want to consider quitting.

     Another topic that was mentioned was stress. An important distinction to make regarding stress is that it does not cause IBD or IBS, but it can contribute to a flare-up. Stress can aggravate most any medical condition - it makes sense that a person isn't going to start feeling better when they're stressed out. Stress and IBD can forum a vicious circle with a patient being stressed out primarily because of the IBD. Contrary to popular belief, stress is often not the cause of ulcers, either.

     The change in seasons was also mentioned as a possible cause for a flare-up. This topic has been the focus of several studies. One theory is that it is an allergic response to some other allergen that then causes a chain reaction to contribute to an IBD flare-up. This is only a theory, but many people with IBD still get flares every fall and spring.

     These are not all the possible triggers for IBD by any means. IBD is highly individualized; so one person's triggers may be very different from another. Keeping a food and activity diary may help in locating particular triggers.