An irregular genetic strand may increase the risk of suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to research conducted at Ohio State University.

Using tissue samples taken from IBS patients, investigators discovered an RNA mechanism that could lead to damage of the colon membrane. They found that this RNA reduced production of glutamine, an amino acid that prevents diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain.

These samples also showed that these individuals had developed increased intestinal permeability, a disease that allows unhealthy amounts of bacteria and toxins enter the colon.

The researchers concluded that IBS patients who had the disorder had low glutamine levels, which worsened their bowel disease symptoms. They added that more studies will be need to be conducted in order to determine if glutamine-enriched supplements could help alleviate IBS side effects.

Symptoms of IBS are often treated with “multiple therapies to attack the symptoms, but the pain is by far the most difficult to treat,” said G. Nicholas Verne, professor of internal medicine at Ohio State. He added that these findings may help target “an underlying structural defect, [which could] resolve that defect as a much more effective way to reduce the symptoms.”

Currently, 1 out of every 10 Americans has developed symptoms of IBS, according to the Georgetown University Hospital.