There are different theories on how irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) occurs in human beings. Now, yet another theory has been proposed and it suggests gravity may be a trigger of the condition.
Stomach Pain
IBS is the most prevalent of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. It is a chronic and debilitating condition without adequately clear-cut pathogenesis. Scientists have come up with diverse evidence-based theories to explain the disorder, but the pathogenesis remains tentative.
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According to the new hypothesis put out in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, multiple conditions (not just IBS) could be a result of the body’s inability to properly manage gravity.
“As long as there’s been life on Earth, from the earliest organisms to Homo sapiens, gravity has relentlessly shaped everything on the planet,” explained Brennan Spiegel, MD, who formed the hypothesis. “Our bodies are affected by gravity from the moment we’re born to the day we die. It’s a force so fundamental that we rarely note its constant influence on our health.”
With the hypothesis, Spiegel throws light on the evolution of the nerves, brain, intestines, heart, and spine so they could handle gravity.
Contrasting theories
Scientists first described IBS more than a century ago. Today, the disorder is believed to affect up to 10 percent of the global population.
The jury is still out on how the condition develops and why it does. There are, of course, theories that attempt to describe its clinical features with evidence. However, these theories often seem to counter one another.
For example, one theory has it that IBS results from gut microbiome anomalies, and, as such, low fermentable diets or antibiotics may help manage it. Another suggests that it results from abnormal gut-brain interaction, with evidence showing that behavioral therapies and neuromodulators could help.
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There are still other theories that link IBS to a variety of factors, including abnormal serotonin levels and irregular motility. As per scientists, autonomic nervous system dysregulation could also cause the condition.
“There’s such a variety of explanations that I wondered if they could all be simultaneously true,” Spiegel said. “As I thought about each theory, from those involving motility to bacteria, to the neuropsychology of IBS, I realized they might all point back to gravity as a unifying factor.”
IBS susceptibility from gravity
Gravitational force, also called G-force, is believed to be the weakest of all fundamental forces. Yet, it affects both the form and function of all life forms greatly.
Spiegel, who is the Health Services Research director at Cedars-Sinai, said the idea that IBS could be linked back to gravity began to make sense after running it by his colleagues.
Gravity causes the spine to be compressed, thereby reducing the flexibility of a person. And not just that. It also displaces organs by causing them to move downward.
Spiegel compared abdominal contents to a heavy sack of potatoes that we must carry around all through life. He explained that the human body has had to evolve to be able to carry this “load.” Symptoms of IBS and musculoskeletal problems emerge when the support structures fail.
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The hypothesis author explained that the ability to carry the abdominal load differs between individuals. Some people’s bodies boast a better load-carrying capability than others. Gravity-induced issues, including protruding belly and drooping intestines, could result in gut bacterial overgrowth and motility problems.
According to Spiegel, these factors might also be the reasons exercise and physical therapy help in managing IBS. These interventions cause the support structures to become stronger.
Serotonin also features in the equation. Spiegel noted that the evolution of this neurotransmitter may have been, in part, to manage gravity. Serotonin helps us to stand upright, maintain our balance, and regulate our mood among other functions.
Going by this hypothesis, dysregulated serotonin may be indicative of gravity failure. This could cause people to develop anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, and fibromyalgia – in addition to IBS.
Thankfully, the hypothesis can be tested by other researchers. It still has to be proved further before it could be used to develop treatments for the GI disorder.
References
Gravity and the Gut: A Hypothesis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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