Winter holidays bring long-awaited gifts, unforgettable impressions, a sense of joy and … often, digestive problems. A traditional attribute of almost any celebration is a plentiful feast with a wide variety of dishes and delicacies that are impossible not to try. However, a sharp change in the habitual regime, volume and nature of nutrition, in fact, is a «gastronomic crime», followed by the inevitable retribution in the form of various disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.
A plentiful late meal, consisting mainly of refined foods, with a large amount of animal fats, proteins and simple carbohydrates, but insufficient in dietary fiber, in addition to “depositing extra pounds” and disturbing the composition of the intestinal microflora, slows down and makes it difficult to empty the intestines. This condition is aggravated by the intake of alcohol, leading to dehydration, and, “for dessert”, chocolate, strong tea and coffee, which also inhibit intestinal motility.
An increase in the duration of stay of feces in the colon, along with pathological changes in the composition of the intestinal microflora, contributes to an increase in the processes of putrefaction, the toxic products of which enter the bloodstream. As a result of these disorders, appetite worsens, bad breath and flatulence appear, which may be accompanied by reflex palpitations and pain in the region of the heart. As a consequence of autointoxication, the significance of which was pointed out by I.I. Mechnikov, there are headaches, decreased performance, depression, sleep disorders. Appearance undergoes negative changes: complexion worsens, skin turgor decreases, acne, allergic rashes, seborrhea appear.
Lactulose, a synthetic disaccharide, is widely used to restore the physiological rhythm of intestinal release. Lactulose does not dissolve in the stomach and small intestine due to the lack of appropriate enzymes. In the colon, the microflora assimilates lactulose to low molecular weight organic acids, which increase the osmotic pressure in the intestinal lumen, which leads to an increase in the volume and normalization of the consistency of feces and stimulation of colon peristalsis. The therapeutic effects of lactulose include, in addition, maintaining the growth and vital activity of normal intestinal microflora, as well as reducing the formation of nitrogen-containing toxic substances and increasing the elimination of bile acids, followed by a decrease in blood and bile cholesterol levels.
Published in the journal «District Doctor»