Digestive health is very important to achieve good skin and ideal weight. But when the digestive system gets upset, it can create a range of health issues for you. Many people with an eating disorder can develop certain gut infections. They can experience extreme weight loss. But some digestive issues can make you gain weight as well. This guide will discuss all such problems that can make you gain or lose weight. Read on to know more about this.
Bacteria Overgrowth
It is one of the most common issues that people might face. Your stomach contains both good and bad bacteria. And the good ones are very important to maintain overall good health. But in some cases, bacteria can overgrow as well. In the case of bacterial overgrowth, you can experience weight gain.
There can be many reasons behind this weight gain. One of the reasons could be the release of methane. This methane gas is not a sign of your weight. This is because it can affect the lining of the intestine. So, the intestine might absorb more than a normal amount of calories. These excessive calories might lead you to gain weight rapidly.
Another reason for your weight gain might be a slowed-down metabolism. If your metabolism is working at a normal rate, you won’t feel hungry 2-3 hours after a meal. But in this case, you might feel hungry time after time. Your appetite might increase significantly. To avoid these two conditions, you should not consume antibiotics. Antibiotics can decrease the number of good bacteria and disturb your metabolism.
Gastroparesis
It is a very serious condition that normally affects people with diabetes. These people might initially experience weight gain due to this condition. This is because the food movement gets really slow along the digestive tract. It takes longer than the usual amount of time for the food to reach the intestine from the stomach.
Due to this reason, people might start experiencing sudden weight gain. But this condition can be easily avoided if at-risk people don’t consume fatty foods. In this way, the lighter foods might get absorbed fairly quickly. Therefore, a change in the diet plan is the most reliable solution to this issue.
Intolerance of Certain Foods
Food intolerance is a very prevalent issue. People can be intolerant to dairy and meat extra. In case of intolerance, your body can struggle with digesting this particular kind of food. It can stay in your system for a while. And because of this delay, it can cause other conditions like weight gain. It can also cause bloating and cramps extra.
You can take a food intolerance test if you experience frequent bloating and weight gain. It will help you to avoid these foods and bring back your weight to normal. In case you have no choice but to eat this food, you can take medicine to neutralize the acidity.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Like bacterial overgrowth condition, this syndrome also involves the overproduction of bad bacteria. As a result, your stomach can get really upset. So, you might start experiencing conditions like bloating and constipation extra. This might make you feel like you are gaining weight.
If you are facing such a condition, you can try taking anti-inflammatory medicines. These will reduce the acidity in your stomach. Avoiding fatty and unhealthy foods will also help you to treat your gut and control weight.
Ulcerative Colitis
This is a serious gut disease. In this disease, you might start experiencing ulcers and inflammation in your gut. It can result in slowed-down bowel movements or infections. You might face difficulty in digesting normal foods. And that is why you might start experiencing weight loss.
To treat this disease, some doctors might recommend you to take steroids. Steroids can make you gain weight in the long run. But after you get treated, your weight will return back to normal. The doctor might also advise you to avoid fatty and spicy foods. These foods can cause huge inflammation in the stomach.
Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease is another serious digestive disease. You might start experiencing inflammation in your stomach. And because of this inflammation, you might get diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, and weight loss extra.
Just like Ulcerative Colitis, you can treat this disease with steroids. You might gain a few pounds because of these steroids. But after you get treated, your weight will return back to normal. However, you should be aware that you might start experiencing conditions like diarrhea extra after you lose weight. So, you’ll need to take extra care of your gut.
Constipation
Finally, constipation is a very prevalent gut condition. In this condition, you might experience extreme difficulty in passing stool. But this doesn’t mean that your body is absorbing more than the normal number of nutrients. Once you’ll pass the stool, you’ll feel much better.
One of the amazing benefits of running is that it can help with constipation. It will take a lesser amount of time for the food to pass to the intestine. And hence, the water absorbed from the stool will decrease in amount. You’ll feel great bowel movement after a good run. So, you should make it a daily habit to run if you are struggling with constipation.