What kills the stomach
Food enters the stomach through the esophagus. The hydrochloric acid and enzymes contained in the stomach immediately come into play. Acid is designed to disinfect food, kill germs, and enzymes – to digest food. The volume of the stomach of an adult is 0.5 liters. Filled with contents, it can stretch up to one liter, for some the value reaches several liters (especially if a person regularly overeats).
Dinner can stay in the stomach for up to 4 hours, which is why it is so important not to overeat at night – heaviness and bloating are provided. But this is if we talk about our feelings, the quality of life. As for food, her stomach can digest anything. From fast food or too spicy, salty food, gastritis or ulcers do not appear, because food is not able to injure the gastric mucosa. That’s when it already has erosion, nutritional errors will only aggravate the situation. What actually causes gastritis?
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First of all, the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. It causes inflammation and destruction of the gastric mucosa. Almost 50% of the world’s population is infected with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, in some it does not manifest itself in any way, in others it causes inflammatory diseases of the stomach. The discoverer of Helicobacter pylori is an Australian scientist Barry Marshall, who drank a solution containing a culture of this bacterium and acquired gastritis.
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Smoking leads to a spasm of blood vessels supplying the stomach, which contributes to the destruction of the mucosa. Smoking on an empty stomach is harmful.
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Uncontrolled intake of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – they also contribute to the destruction of the gastric mucosa. Which in turn can lead to gastritis, ulcers and even cancer. Of course, the above drugs (analgin, ibuprofen, voltaren, etc.) have indications, but the benefits should always exceed possible side effects. People who already have inflammatory diseases of the stomach should not drink them. If you cannot do without them, you need to take medicines that help protect the stomach (H2 blockers or proton pump inhibitors).
Don’t confuse gastritis with dyspepsia
Almost everyone experiences functional dyspepsia (difficulty digesting) from time to time. It is expressed in heartburn, nausea, bloating, a feeling of heaviness. According to many, the symptoms are similar to gastritis, but this is not entirely true. Typical signs of gastritis are:
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pain “under the spoon”;
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nausea;
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heartburn;
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stomach pain on an empty stomach.
Speaking of gastritis, we immediately think about the need for gastroscopy (the same probe with a camera at the end that needs to be swallowed). This procedure allows you to assess the condition of the mucous membranes of the organ, determine the localization, take samples of the contents (gastric juice and tissues) for a biopsy. To prescribe the correct therapy, it is necessary to act on the cause that caused the inflammation. Therefore, to complete the picture, blood tests, feces, and a respiratory test for Helicobacter pylori are also prescribed.
“I had gastritis with low acidity, the bacteria was cured with three antibiotics, then I restored the microflora, quit smoking. She hardly ate meat, fried and smoked too. Eat in small portions. I didn’t remember for five years, but now I’ve moved to another country where the products are different, my husband only loves everything fatty and fried, I cook it for him, and here again the aggravation. In general, my experience shows that it is important to drink antibiotics and follow certain dietary rules all your life, that is, change your lifestyle. By the way, if gastritis does not torment for five years, then the diagnosis is removed, ”shares one of the users.
With gastritis, the doctor prescribes drugs to restore the gastric mucosa. Further, it all depends on the root cause. In case of a bacterial infection, antibiotics are used, and a therapeutic diet is also prescribed – exclude foods that irritate the damaged gastric mucosa. Launched gastritis, provoked by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, leads to depletion of the gastric mucosa and refers to precancerous conditions.
It is curious that quite often, up to a certain point, gastritis does not manifest itself in any way. And bloating, nausea, heartburn, belching are often characteristic, as we mentioned above, for gastroesophageal reflux disease and functional dyspepsia.
All diseases from nerves?
One of the most resilient stereotypes around the topic of gastritis is related to stress, which many consider to be almost the main culprit of all diseases. Chronic stress is indeed capable of undermining the immune system of the body, which will certainly affect the course of emerging diseases, but in itself cannot cause gastritis, stomach ulcers and other diseases. Although many patients claim that in stressful situations they immediately feel an exacerbation of gastritis. But this is the case when the diagnosis has already been made and it is provoked by other reasons. Also, alcohol does not cause significant harm to the stomach – there are no studies proving the opposite. If, of course, we are talking about standard doses of its use. Still, hardly anyone flushes the stomach with liters of pure alcohol.
Nevertheless, we can add work to our own stomach. First of all, we are talking about overeating, late dinners, unstable nutrition. Regarding the latter, there are many schemes. Some believe that you need to eat strictly three times a day and that the break between meals should be at least four hours. Others vote for fractional meals, which allow not to stretch the stomach in large portions. The main thing is to understand what is comfortable for you. Otherwise, tips on how to keep your stomach healthy are well known and do not lose their relevance:
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If you feel hungry, drink a glass of water first to fill your stomach. Often we eat not because we want to eat, but to get positive emotions, eat boredom and stress, kill time, etc. The standard serving is 300 grams.
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there are quality products;
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be sure to wash your hands, fruits and vegetables. The bacterium Helicobacter pylori is transmitted by the oral-fecal route, that is, through dirty hands;
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do not eat too hot and cold foods;
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do not torture the body with diets.
Photo: Pexels.com
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