Irritable bowel syndrome can be a pain to live with (literally). Scientists already know that switching off that pain in the brain is harder for people with IBS. And dieting for these symptoms can be a tricky element to deal with as well. Researchers are slowly starting to learn more about IBS and what causes it. For example, they have recently made a connection to irritable bowel syndrome and allergies.

Seasonal allergic rhinitis upped the likelihood of having IBS by nearly three times. Patients with allergic eczema (like skin inflammations) were almost four times as likely to have the syndrome. Interestingly enough, depression also factored in with 2.56 times the likelihood of having it, which contradicts an earlier study that discredits depression as indicating a higher risk for IBS.

Now these are correlations, not direct causes. They still don't know exactly why these symptoms crop up in certain individuals, but they can pinpoint connections among them to help identify risk factors. Hopefully more research will address specific causes in the future.

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, Why is that we feel like puking or vomiting during intense workouts? Is it a bad indication or health threat? I saw on the Biggest Loser that there were those who puked. However, I felt it just recently on my 20 minute incline treadmill workout and it gave me the creeps. Did I do something wrong? Am I supposed to have myself checked with a doctor? Thanks, Kassy

A. Hi Kassy. Thanks for the great question. There are a bunch of possible causes for your nausea, and most are not worthy of worry. Vigorous exercise takes it's toll on all the different parts of our body; not just our legs, arms and abs. It effects our respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous, and digestive systems (amongst others) as well. Most of the effects of challenging exercise are great, some of the effects though are temporarily not-so-great. I found a study by Dr. R. Rafoth, M.D., The Athlete and the G.I. Tract which describes the causes of exercise induced nausea and other G.I. symptoms which I summarize below.

Some of the factors that can lead to exercise induced nausea are:

1. Presence of symptoms in a non exercising period, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

2. Age. More symptoms occur in younger athletes.

3. Gender: Women are more likely to experience exercised induced nausea, completely unrelated to ones menstrual cycle.

4. Diet: There is an increased incidence of upper abdominal symptoms in athletes who consumed:

• too big a meal too close to exercise
• fats
• hyper-tonic drinks, glucose syrups, honey/maple syrups
• foods high in dietary fiber
• high protein diets

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My husband told me about this ground-breaking news flash today at lunch, and I suspect that the little blurb he first heard on talk radio is going to soon infiltrate the media. It's that big. Here's what he heard: Excess body fat almost certainly causes cancer.

The evidence is stronger now than ever before and is detailed in a landmark report issued today by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF). Evidence linking cancer with consumption of alcohol, red meat, and processed meat is also pretty darn convincing.

The report, available here, has been five years in the making and consists of data pulled together from nine independent teams of scientists from around the world and 21 international experts who analyzed more than 7,000 large-scale studies.

If you were unsure about the connection between cancer and diet before today, consider this: Body fat is convincingly linked to six different cancers -- colon, kidney, pancreas, adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and endometrium, and post-menopausal breast cancer. And this is just one striking point made in the 517-page report. There are 10 other issues outlined, which have led to these ten recommendations:

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Brooklyn, New York medical authorities are probing the death of a 12 year-old after the cause of death was pegged as due to a staph infection. As a result, there is a scare throughout NYC's school system of a possibility of more infections (or deaths).

The particular strain of staph in this case, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is actually responsible for more deaths each year than the virus that causes AIDS, and tracking how those who have the infection contracted it continues to be increasingly difficult for the medical establishment.

Fatal staph infections in children are "in the order of 1 in a million" according to a source. Those a long-shot odds, and finding a way to treat drug-resistant bacterial infections continues to be a fight for biologists and geneticists. Who said medical technology is cutting-edge? In some cases, yes. In others, we're still clueless.

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It's odd to hear that a scent could invoke the feeling (and diagnosis) of cancer, but in Houston, Texas, that is precisely what has happened.

A lingering stench in a part of Houston is being looked at in the mysterious diagnosis of leukemia in a 6-year-old, Valentin Marroquin. Is there something in the surrounding environment that is not only smelly, but has contributed to a case of leukemia?

The family in question lives right next to the Houston ship channel, which is home to the largest petrochemical complex in the country. It's pretty obvious to see where the smell comes from -- but is there something in the air that could cause cancer when inhaled (or perhaps ingested)?

That is unknown -- but chemical companies are spewing tons of waste into the air each day there, including benzene and other pollutants. After reading about the environment in the Manchester area, I'm in no hurry to go there.

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I've read some research recently that suggested genetic predisposition to obesity, which I found quite interesting. A new piece of research this past week reiterated that stance, as it suggested chronic overeaters may indeed be driven to overeat by their genetic makeup.

The reasoning? Lower levels of the brain chemical dopamine may be found in many people as a result of DNA differences, and that is responsible for the rewarding feeling eating has. Hence, you have less of it, you feel less rewarded when you eat -- and you overeat as a result.

This may be partly to blame when overweight people fail to stop eating when they are physically full. Mentally, the process is not as rewarding as it is for many -- and that mental state (acquiring happiness from food) takes much longer to achieve, apparently.

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Several children in the Nevada and Arizona have developed strange cases of leukemia, and officials are trying to determine what the cause may be. So far, the search is centering on environmental factors.

Researchers from around the area are looking at genetic changes that happened during infancy (or before birth) as well as anything that may have changed before the mysterious onset of leukemia in this odd cluster in the desert.

Since 1997, 17 children have fallen ill from leukemia while three have died, and the water and environmental factor correlation still have produced no results, but progress is being made, according to the researchers. One thing that has been discovered -- a high amount of Tungsten has been discovered in the area where the leukemia cluster is contained.

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Is there a link between autism and a specific diet? In many cases, parents seem to attach a reduced rate of autism symptoms with a gluten-free and dairy-reduced diet.

Although the vaccine preservative Thimerosal has been recently shunned as a possible cause of autism, other environmental factors are now going to be studied extensively.

This is a good thing -- the amount of chemicals in modern foods as well as the amount of genetic manipulation in many foods needs to be studied as a possible cause of many ailments. Autism could be right up there.

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A new study has poked the ongoing debate on whether the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal causes neurological disorders in some children. The biggest condition that comes up regularly is autism, although many experts have now stated that vaccinations containing thimerosal have no effect on potential autism.

The latest study comes from the federal government in an attempt to reassure parents about the safety of vaccination shots given to their kids.

But, this study was different -- it concentrated on neurological disorders, but did not include autism at all. However, a federal study that will look at autism causes is due soon, according to federal health authorities. In this most recent study, there was no clear link between between early exposure to the preservative thimerosal and any brain functions in kids aged 7 to 10.

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Potatoes, when they are eaten mostly unadulterated, are excellent for health. They're full of nutrients and make for a great meal. But, a diet rich in them when added to refined grains like white bread and rice may be having a deadly impact on many, and they may not even know it.

Sounds odd, right? These high-glycemic foods may be causing "fatty liver" disease in some, which could turn into a serious condition. It's the starch content in these foods that is the problem, say researchers.

Fat buildup around the liver becomes the problem after eating a consistent diet high in starchy foods, and all that fat buildup causes liver failure in the future. But, like anything, balance your diet out with these foods and others and you most likely won't have an issue.

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Have you been dieting, and cutting calories and fat for ages but you haven't lost any weight? It happens to the best of us and it's incredibly frustrating. Often we don't realize that habits which don't seem to relate to food can result in weight gain, and that foods which seem healthy, may not actually be all that great. If you can't seem to downsize, consider these 9 potential culprits:

• Stress - Stress makes the body release a hormone that causes fat to build-up around the abdomen.
• Labels - Light, low-fat and fat-free don't necessarily mean 'healthy' and could be full of sugar and calories.
• Hunger - If you eat for any reason other than actual hunger, you may be eating stuff you can't burn off.
• Booze - Alcoholic drinks are full of empty calories AND your body burns off alcohol before anything else.
• Sleep - If you're tired it throws specific hormones off-balance resulting in false feelings of hunger.
• Exercise - Exercise is essential for weight loss but too much will only make you feel hungrier.
• Work - Those who spend more time at their desk exercise less and eat more high-fat and high-sugar foods.
• Partners - When comfort levels go up, healthy eating, exercise and a tight body can go out the window
• Protein - It is OK to eat carbs, but protein keeps you feeling full so you need to balance the two.

For more information on all of the causes listed above, as well as tips on how to fix them, take a look at the article in its entirety here.

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Many of us have had our excuses at one point or another. It could have been the morning donuts. Or perhaps it was those summer trips -- honestly, who diets on a vacation anyway? But nix those eating and exercise reasons because a small army of scientists have come up with 10 other excuses that could help explain why people are fat.

"Creative" was what one doctor used to describe the report, adding, "At this point, there are no silly ideas." Obviously they're not suggesting you turn off your air conditioning (that one is #3 on the list). These are just potential factors for obesity.

Though some of these are just downright laughable (like the smoking one), you can hardly point a finger at them as being anything more than "excuses." Like any doctor will tell you, the most effective way to combat obesity is (surprise!) dieting and exercise.

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