Ever wondered why a common and poorly understood gut disorder – irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) – is often linked to anxiety? Researchers say it is all linked to genes. They are hopeful that their discovery will stop IBS from being wrongly labelled as “all in the mind”.

The researchers studied more than 50,000 individuals with IBS and compared their DNA with healthy people. The results were published in the journal Nature Genetics.

As per a BBC report, it is believed that IBS affects about 1 in 10 people and can cause distressing abdominal pain, bloating and bouts of constipation, diarrhoea or both.

IBS affects women slightly more than men. If affected, the right age for patients to seek advice is between 20 and 40.

A consultant gastroenterologist at Cambridge Addenbrookes Hospital, Prof Miles Parkes, said that IBS is still poorly understood. He added that it can be incorrectly categorised as psychosomatic due to its overlap with anxiety and stress.

He and his team said that they have identified at least six distinct genetic differences.

Here are the results.

– All in all, IBS’ heritability is comparatively low.

– For people with IBS when compared to others who are healthy six genetic differences were found.

– Most genetic differences have roles in the brain and in nerves.

– The same gene that puts people at risk of IBS, the same gene increases the risk of anxiety, depression, and neuroticism.

However, professor Parkes said that it doesn’t mean that IBS is caused by anxiety.

“Our study shows these conditions have shared genetic origins, with the affected genes possibly leading to physical changes in brain or nerve cells that in turn cause symptoms in the brain and symptoms in the gut,” BBC quoted professor Parkes as saying.

This discovery may help in developing better treatments for the irritable bowel syndrome.