>Intolerance to dairy results in similar symptoms to IBS.

Yes - as does Celiac (gluten intolerance).

>I suspect that IBS is sometimes used as a cop-out diagnosis.

Both are under-diagnosed.

>It was certainly a label they tried to stick on me some years ago, when
>it was dairy and a few other foods responsible for my symptoms. Once
>they were taken away, the symptoms subsided.
>
>...but wouldn't it be better to find out
>for sure whether it really is dairy that's the problem, either alone or
>in combination with one or more other foods, or whether there really is
>genuine IBS and not just symptoms attributable to food.

Yes, it would. In the case of Celiac, it's easily diagnosed with a
combination of blood tests and, if positive, a follow-up biopsy. I'm still
not 100% convinced that the same kind of damage to the cilia  cannot result
from LI as well. I'd love to read some good source material on the subject.

Mark

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Mark Feblowitz