A Minor Change for a Healthier Life
Written by Hsuan Chen
Edited by Kelly Chau
Jan 31, 2021
Edited by Kelly Chau
Jan 31, 2021
Busy balancing life, school, and work that you cannot remember the last time you ate or what you ate? You mind what you put into your body—at least you think you are—yet you feel this constant discomfort in the abdomen?
Chronic gastritis (CG) is a commonly overlooked disease that usually inflicts stomach pain due to varying degrees of inflammatory response over time. Previous studies have shown that typical yet often neglected symptoms, such as vomiting, loss of appetite, and stomach discomfort, are reasons for CG’s poor recognition as stomach lesion. Although these symptoms may seem insignificant at first, continuously ignoring their effects on the body could lead to rupturing and bleeding of the stomach and consequently stomach cancer. As these are serious, life-threatening damages, desired treatment outcomes may not be guaranteed.
In a recent study, Drs. Li and Su of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine investigated the correlation between eating habits and food choices with gastrointestinal symptoms in CG patients. They discovered several dietary factors shared among different symptoms—most notably, irregular mealtimes, sweets, and salty foods. Specifically, the six major symptoms experienced by all patients, including stomachache, stomach enlargement, hiccup/belching, acid reflux, heartburn, and nausea, were evident results of the aforementioned eating behaviors and preferences. Moreover, gender differences produced a novel distinction between popular dietary factors among males and females in relation to the symptoms studied; male patients who regularly dine out and consume alcohol, barbeque, and spicy foods were associated with almost all symptoms. Meanwhile, female patients who preferred excessive amounts of sugar were strongly correlated with the increased risk of multiple chronic diseases. In fact, other studies have acknowledged the significant effects of these flavorings on the body, such as changes in the gut microbiome, progressive chronic inflammation, and the development of colonic fermentation. To summarize, although the effects of dietary factors were more concentrated in females than in males, irregular mealtimes as well as sweet and salty foods were linked with all CG symptoms regardless of gender.
While people often disregard the importance of eating regularly and controllably during times of chaos, the potentially detrimental effects of poor eating habits should not be tolerated. Although the severity of symptoms varies from person to person, making the appropriate adjustments to dietary habits can easily alleviate the pain. Just one simple change in your lifestyle, like recording when or what you eat in a day, can relieve you from significant bodily discomfort and eventually lead to a healthier life.
Works Cited
Li, Y., Su, Z., Li, P., Li, Y., Johnson, N., Zhang, Q., Du, S., Zhao, H., Li, K., Zhang, C., & Ding, X. (2020). Association of Symptoms with Eating Habits and Food Preferences in Chronic Gastritis Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2020, 5197201. <https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/5197201>
Image Source: “Complete intestinal metaplasia in a case of chronic gastritis” by Patho licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0