A Closer Look at Diarrhea Causes: What Type of Foods Are to Blame

There are a number of popular diarrhea causes including toxin ingestion, parasites, viral, as well as bacterial infection and physical trauma. But the most prevalent trigger has always been food. Sometimes, the condition just appears out of irritation, while other times, it is triggered by an underlying disease. If you are not sure whether or not you have anything to worry about contracting diarrhea after eating anything, you might want to keep a look out for the following fares.

Milk and sugar are one of the leading causes of secretory diarrhea. According to statistics, 33% of the world's population is actually lactose-intolerant. Now, although it can happen as an isolated case, medically, diarrhea after consumption of dairy products is brought about by lactase deficiency, which leads to malabsorption of sugar and carbohydrates. Lactase is supposed to be the enzyme that breaks down lactose, fructose and sorbitol into its simplest form - glucose - so it can be absorbed and used up by the body. But since it cannot be done, the undigested lactose is disposed of, and when it reaches the colon, it attracts water by osmosis and starts forcing watery stools out of the body.

Fatty food and artificial fat substances have also been found to cause diarrhea in relation to malabsorption problems. This time, it is the pancreas to blame. Usually, this organ secretes chemicals to facilitate the digestion of fat. But in some cases, it is unable to, and the result is accumulation of undigested fat which need to be eliminated through the colon. Now, since it is typically oily, it directly facilitates more elimination than necessary, therefore leading to more than three loose stools in a day.

Third on the list of food that causes sudden diarrhea is insoluble fiber - for obvious reasons. It's not typically digested and used up by the body, hence, it is just discarded after the rest of the nutrients from its primary sources - fruits, vegetables and seeds - are absorbed. And given that it does not dissolve in water or gastric acid, it just passes straight from the small to the large intestine, stimulating gas formation and peristalsis, which leads to unregulated bowel movement.

And then of course, doctors and several people also put into consideration hot peppers and other spicy substances that irritate the bowel and trigger premature defecation. On top of that, people have also raised acidic fares like citrus fruits and those with high vinegar content as major causes of gastrointestinal tract distress. There have been a few reports of people reacting negatively to caffeine intake as well, especially if they have drunk more than the prescribed 200 to 300 mg per day. Caffeine is a stimulant after all. And true to its function, in huge amounts, it sends the body into overdrive, resulting in excessive smooth muscle contraction, affecting the gastrointestinal tract, leading to diarrhea.

Again, having diarrhea after eating anything may just be a one-time experience you can treat with hydration and electrolyte supplementation. But, if you believe that none of these food diarrhea causes are to blame for your condition, you might want to visit a physician and get accurate diagnosis, so that you could undergo the correct and proper treatment.