Unlike infectious diarrhoea, diarrhoea caused by high amounts of vitamin C or magnesium is not generally accompanied by other signs of illness; the same is true when the problem comes from sorbitol or fructose colitis-microscopic-colitis In these cases, avoiding the offending supplement or food brings rapid relief colitis-microscopic-colitis Drinking several cups cups of coffee per day causes diarrhoea in some people colitis-microscopic-colitis People with chronic diarrhoea who drink coffee should avoid all coffee for a few days to evaluate whether coffee is the culprit colitis-microscopic-colitis Allergies and food sensitivities are common triggers for diarrhoea colitis-microscopic-colitis For example, some infants suffer diarrhoea when when fed cow’s milk-based formula but improve when switched to soya-based formula colitis-microscopic-colitis People with chronic diarrhoea not attributable to other causes should discuss the possibility of food sensitivity with a doctor colitis-microscopic-colitis Nutritional supplements that may be helpful: Acute diarrhoea can damage the lining of the intestine colitis-microscopic-colitis Folic acid acid can help repair this damage colitis-microscopic-colitis In one preliminary trial, supplementing with very large amounts of folic acid (5 mg three times per day for several days) shortened the duration of acute infectious diarrhoea by 42% in a preliminary study colitis-microscopic-colitis However, a double-blind trial failed to show any positive positive effect with the same level of folic acid colitis-microscopic-colitis Therefore, evidence that high levels of folic acid supplementation will help people with infectious diarrhoea remains weak colitis-microscopic-colitis Brewer’s yeast has been shown to alter the immune system or the flora living in the intestine and may relieve infectious diarrhoea colitis-microscopic-colitis Three capsules or tablets of brewer’s yeast three times per day for two weeks was reported to be helpful in three cases of infectious diarrhoea caused by Clostridium difficile colitis-microscopic-colitis Animal research has confirmed that brewer’s yeast helps fight this unfriendly bacterium colitis-microscopic-colitis Note that real brewer’s yeast is not not identical to nutritional, or torula, yeast and that when asking for brewer’s yeast in health food stores, people are often directed toward these other products colitis-microscopic-colitis Real brewer’s yeast is bitter, whereas other health food store yeasts have a more pleasant taste colitis-microscopic-colitis An organism related to brewer’s yeast, Saccharomyces | 