Disordered eating and GI issues
Many people report experiencing severe and painful GI issues such as bloating, reflux, gas, abdominal pain, and more. A quick google search will tell you that to improve these symptoms you ‘should’ or ‘need’ to eliminate certain foods/food groups, add a cocktail of ‘gut healing’ supplements and increase your activity level. However, for clients who have an ED or have a history of disordered eating, GI symptoms can be a direct result of disordered eating behaviours so REnourishment is what is needed to reverse symptoms NOT further restriction.
How does disordered eating affect the gut?
01 UNDERNOURISHMENT
Prolonged undernourishment leads to muscles in the GI tract being broken down by the body to be used for energy. This impacts the bodies ability to digest food and results in food moving through the GI tract slower to conserve energy. As a result, food sits in the stomach for longer periods of time, causing unpleasant symptoms and increased feelings of fullness. This can make eating even harder, especially for those in recovery.
One of the main functions of the gut is to eliminate waste from the body. If there is not much going in, then there will not be much going out. This is why many people suffer with constipation during the initial stages of recovery.
Delayed gastric emptying and constipation CAN be reversed during the renourishment process.
02. DECREASED DIETARY DIVERSITY
Beneficial bacteria found in the gut, need a variety of nutrients to stay alive and proliferate, specifically dietary fibre found in carbohydrates. When the bacteria digest fibre they produce chemicals that exert a range of health benefits including modulating the immune system, regulating appetite and producing hormones & neurochemicals such as serotonin that regulate mood. As a result, low dietary intake negatively impacts mood, sleep and resilience amongst many other things.
02. REDUCED DIGESTIVE ENZYMES
The role of digestive enzymes are to break down macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fat) into smaller molecules to be absorbed by the body. Digestive enzymes require energy to be made, so malnourishment can result in fewer digestive enzymes and food moving slower through the GI tract. This can cause uncomfortable symptoms like bloating, gas, and abdominal distention etc. These physical symptoms can trigger clients to believe that they have eaten ‘too much’ which may lead to further restriction, and perpetuating GI symptoms.
Binge eating also causes disruption, by releasing an influx of digestive enzymes that speeds up motility and can cause diarrhoea, urgency and abdominal pain.
03. STRESS
Disordered eating behaviours puts the body under stress and leads to chronic ‘fight or flight’ activation. When the bodies ‘threat’ system is constantly activated, digestion is switched off (constriction of blood vessels in the gut, reduced blood flow, reduced salvation) and the bodies resources are directed towards bodily functions that are imperative for survival.
An important role of the digestive system is to absorb nutrients, so if digestive function is reduced then nutrient absorption is also impaired.
A key part of recovery is learning the skills to become better at handling stress specifically around certain foods and the eating experience/
04. REDUCED STOMACH ACID PRODUCTION
Stomach acid requires sodium which is often restricted in eating disorders. Stomach acid helps to break down, digest and absorb nutrients from food. Reduced stomach acid production makes it harder for food to be digested and leads to malfunctions of the GI tract resulting in painful symptoms such as reflux, heartburn, nausea and abdominal pain.
One of the major roles of stomach acid is to kill of bacteria before it enters the GI tract, therefore stomach acid issues, caused by stress, self induced vomiting, binge eating & nutrient deficiencies can leave your Immune system vulnerable, leading to recurrent infections.
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Love Harriett