Cleansing the body or harm to health. Gastroenterologist told about possible problems from detox programs

Is it necessary to regularly clean the intestines from “slags”, what threatens the body with popular interval fasting and why does the stomach sometimes rumbling loudly at the most awkward moment? These and other questions about the work of the gastrointestinal tract were answered by a gastroenterologist of the highest category Tatiana Tkachenko. Read more in the material of the correspondent of the agency “Minsk-Novosti”.

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Fashion intolerance: why not mindlessly give up milk and gluten

Today it has become fashionable to attribute any heaviness in the abdomen to "gluten or lactose intolerance." However, as T told me. Tkachenko, true genetic intolerance to these components is quite rare.

- In a year, among patients coming to the reception, hardly a dozen people with really proven lactase insufficiency will be recruited. In most cases, discomfort is caused not by genetics, but by years of unbalanced nutrition, eating fast food, fascination with exotic foods and eating disorders, T. Tkachenko said.

It is unreasonable to exclude from the diet products containing rye, wheat, oats, dairy products without examination - the body is deprived of valuable sources of protein, trace elements, B vitamins. If there is suspicion of intolerance to a particular product, it is enough to pass a genetic analysis or pass a special hydrogen breath test (for intolerance to lactose, fructose, sorbitol).

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The myth of "slags", the harm of enemas and stagnation of bile during starvation

Why are detox programs so popular? When a person suffers from constipation, bloating and gas formation for months, he begins to look for quick ways to get rid of these problems. But trying to stop the symptoms without clarifying the causes is a dangerous way, the expert is convinced.

Before you go for cleaning, you need to undergo an examination (ultrasound, tests, if necessary - colonoscopy). It is important to exclude organic pathology, inflammation and cancer. Today, benign polyps and tubular intestinal adenomas are regularly found even in young people.

For this reason, you should not get carried away with hydrocolonotherapy (hardware washing of the intestines with a large volume of water). Homemade enemas and laxative teas (especially based on senna). The intestine is arranged as a self-regulating system, T. Tkachenko noted, if you constantly stimulate it from the outside, the natural peristalsis changes, there is a dependence on laxatives and, as a result, it becomes much more difficult to restore the normal functioning of the organ.

If you really want to help digestion, the only safe alternative will be wellness programs in specialized sanatoriums, with a diet, a set of physical exercises and physiotherapy under the supervision of doctors.

Some harm can cause and popular diets, such as interval fasting. Such diets are not suitable for everyone, especially with existing health problems. With long pauses between meals, bile ceases to be released in a timely manner and stagnates in the gallbladder. First, a thick sediment (sludge) is formed, and in the presence of a hereditary tendency, stones are formed. In addition, interval fasting is strictly contraindicated for people with endocrine disorders, diabetes. The danger lies in the fact that in the early stages a person may not even suspect the presence of diabetes, and long breaks between meals can provoke dangerous jumps in blood sugar.

Is it possible to reduce the stomach diets and why do bariatrics

The idea that when portions are reduced, the stomach physically shrinks or decreases in size is a myth. The stomach is a hollow muscle organ with high elasticity of the walls. In the empty state, its volume is about 500 ml, and when filled, it can physiologically stretch to 2.5-3 liters. Changing portion size does not change the anatomical structure and baseline volume of the organ on a permanent basis. In reality, only the sensitivity of stretch receptors (mechanoreceptors) located in the walls of the stomach is transformed. With regular moderate diet, they adapt to a smaller amount of food, so that the signal of satiety enters the brain much earlier.

And yet many, desperate to lose weight on diets, dream of reducing the stomach literally - on the operating table. How justified is such a radical step and who really needs it?

- Bariatric surgery is an extreme physical measure for people with severe forms of morbid obesity (weighing 150–200 kg). When a person is physically unable to fully move and lose weight due to existing diseases, reducing the volume of the organ allows you to mechanically limit the amount of food taken. In other cases, you need to work with specialists: endocrinologist, nutritionist, psychologist, which will find the most suitable option for a particular person, the expert explained.

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Myths about probiotics, insidious SIBR, and why it actually rumbling in the stomach

In modern evidence-based medicine, the term "dysbacteriosis" is no longer used - it was replaced by the concepts of "dysbiosis" and SIBR (excess bacterial growth syndrome). SIBR is a pathological reproduction of opportunistic bacteria in the small intestine, causing bloating, stool disorders and flatulence.

Gastroenterologist stressed: uncontrollably buy pharmacy probiotics for flatulence is ineffective. For example, if the problem is caused by a lack of pancreatic enzymes, the bacteria simply will not work. Competent treatment protocol SIBR looks like this:

1. 1.Diagnosis of SIBR using a hydrogen-respiratory test.
2. 2.a 14-day course of a special non-absorbable intestinal antibiotic that cleanses pathogenic flora.
3. 3.Course reception of correctly selected probiotics and prebiotics for the settlement of beneficial microbiota.

Rumbling in the stomach

Another question that worries literally everyone: why does the stomach begin to roar treacherously at the most awkward moment?

According to the expert, this is the result of increased peristalsis and gas movement. If a person missed a meal, the stomach on the biological clock begins to release juices and shrinks "idle" - hence spasms and sounds. The second factor is the same imbalance of microflora, in which bacteria produce excess gas.

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Autumn menu and "seasonal sores"

To rebuild the diet in autumn, gastroenterologist T. Tkachenko advises reasonably:

1. 1.Eat regularly 3-4 times a day in moderate portions.
2. 2.Focus on seasonal fruits and vegetables. They grow in our climatic band, contain vitamins and trace elements that are most suitable for the body at the genetic level.
3. 3.The way of cooking matters: meat, fish and other products are better baked or stewed, rather than fried.

Previously it was believed that peptic ulcer of the stomach and intestines necessarily worsens in autumn and spring. However, today it is proved that the main culprit of peptic ulcer disease is an infection of Helicobacter pylori. After passing the course of eradication (destruction) of this bacterium, the concept of “seasonality” of exacerbations in patients simply disappears. That is why with any regular failures and deterioration of health, the specialist advised to undergo a comprehensive examination on time, and not write off everything for the season or the product eaten the day before.