Imaging the Effect of Experimental Stress on Small and Large Bowel Water During Fructose Absorption

The investigators have been developing new, non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to image the small bowel. Building on those studies the investigators want to study, in healthy volunteers, the effects of stress on the water content of the small bowel following ingestion of fructose. This is important because in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), there seems to be a strong association of stress and anxiety with the severity of the disease. Many IBS patients complain of food intolerances and recent studies have suggested that food with high content of fructose can worsen symptoms of IBS. The investigators will carry out a study in which the investigators will induce a moderate state of stress in healthy volunteers using an injection of corticotrophin release hormone, feed them a drink containing fructose and image their bowel at intervals using MRI. Improving our understanding of the effects of stress and fructose on small bowel physiology will help us to understand better some aspects of the symptoms such as bloating, altered bowel habit and abdominal discomfort, experienced by the IBS patients and to guide therapy. The investigators hypothesize that the effect of CRH will cause significant decrease in small bowel water content (SBWC) and a faster small bowel transit with increased malabsorption following consumption of fructose.