Why Does Diarrhea Cause Weight Loss?

Diarrhea is an unpleasant and distressing condition we all experience from time to time. However, certain forms of diarrhea are more severe than others and these are the ones that can cause weight loss.

The most common cause of diarrhea is either a bacterial or viral infection. For example, rotavirus frequently causes chronic diarrhea among infants and young children and can also result in rapid weight loss.

How Does Diarrhea Cause Weight Loss

The main symptom of diarrhea is frequent watery stools and these can seriously disrupt the functions of the digestive system.

With diarrhea food passes rapidly through the digestive tract.This compromises the body's ability to sufficiently absorb the nutrients, vitamins and minerals from the food.

As the body is not absorbing these nutrients it has to use up its own reserves. As these reserves are not being replenished the weight falls off very quickly.

An indirect way that diarrhea can result in weight loss is because the person has a lack of appetite. Once you have it you realise that eating food is soon going to result in nausea, stomach cramps and then the runs.

This realisation soon puts you off eating food, which of course is going to make you lose weight.

What's more, you'll have to eat very bland and low calorie foods such as rice to avoid triggering the severe symptoms of diarrhea.

Diarrhea also results in heavy fluid loss which can have the effect of lowering your weight.

If you have intolerance to certain foods this can also lead to diarrhea. Two foods that commonly cause the runs in people are milk and gluten.

People who have lactose intolerance cannot digest the sugars in milk and this often results in excessive gas, abdominal pains, followed shortly followed by diarrhea.

Gluten is a protein in wheat and this is well known to irritate the GI tract causing bloating, more gas and you've guessed it - diarrhea.

Treatment For Diarrhea

If the cause is a bacterial or viral infection there is very little that you can do apart from letting nature take its course. The key is to keep taking plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.

If the diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting, blood in the stool and lasts for more than 2 days, then you should see a doctor immediately. If you've a food intolerance, then avoid eating spicy foods and foods that contain wheat and milk.

But its important you do eat, but these should be bland easy to digest food such as white toasted bread, apple sauce, bananas, white rice and mashed potatoes.