Diverticulosis

Diverticulosis

Best Advice for Colon Cramps

A few years ago, the comedy writers for Saturday Night Live came up with a satirical ad for a fictional high-fiber cereal called Colon Blow, touted as a way to keep the colon free and clear of nasty digestive obstructions. In creating the ad the writers must have done some medical research: Trying to pass hard, dry stools puts a lot of pressure on your colon, sometimes causing pea-size pouches known as diverticula to form on the colon walls. The problem is called diverticulosis.

Lots of people have these pouches--about 10 percent of people over age 40 and about half the population that's over age 60.

Most of the time, you won't even know that you have diverticulosis; there will be no symptoms. Occasionally, you may experience dull cramps and the constipation that often causes diverticulosis.

About 20 percent of the time, the pouches become infected and inflamed--that's diverticulitis, a more serious condition that, in a small number of cases, must be treated surgically.

If you are troubled by diverticulosis, the key to a comfortable life is in making a few dietary changes.

Make every meal a high-fiber meal. Constipation--characterized by hard, dry stools that are difficult to pass--often leads to diverticulosis. The main way to a softer, bulkier, faster-moving stool? "A high-fiber diet and water," says Robyn Karlstadt, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia.

Doctors recommend 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day, but most Americans eat far less. To up your fiber count, "try to eat at least one serving of fruits, vegetables or grains at every meal," says Elaine Feldman, M.D., professor emeritus of medicine at the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine in Augusta.

Or try a supplement. Sometimes women with diverticulosis find that high-fiber foods make them feel even more crampy. If fruits, beans and vegetables are a problem for you, try a fiber supplement such as Metamucil or Fibercon, says Linda Lee, M.D., assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Available in supermarkets and drugstores, supplements can be taken in granular form (mixed in water or juice) or wafer form (washed down with at least eight ounces of water). Supplements soften and bulk up your stool, which should keep pouches from forming.

Sprinkle on the bran. Wheat bran or oat bran, found in health food stores, are also good sources of fiber. But if you think that bran tastes like sawdust, "disguise it by sprinkling it on top of a tossed salad or add it to a meat loaf or casserole," says Dr. Karlstadt.

Load up on water. Drink six to eight eight-ounce glasses of water or other low-calorie beverages a day, Dr. Karlstadt says. That will also help soften and bulk up your stool and prevent the pressure that causes pouches.

Cut out the java. Sometimes people drink a lot of coffee to try and get their stools to pass. That's the wrong approach, says Dr. Karlstadt.

Steady high doses of coffee will harm, not help, your diverticulosis. Caffeine is a diuretic, and stools without water get hard, which is what causes pouches to form. Lots of caffeine can also cause the muscles in the colon to contract more, which prevents the stool from passing along. So if you have diverticulosis, switch to decaf--or at least cut down on the leaded stuff.