What's the Idea Behind Causes Of Stomach Pain After Eating
Stomach pain after eating may occur just because you ate more than you should, ate faster than you should, or ate something you shouldn't have eaten in the first place. For these reasons, stomach aches often occur after eating during the holiday season. You feel better within a few hours or the next day. But stomach pain after eating can occur any day of the year if you have stomach problems or some type of digestive disorder.
Before describing these symptoms, it should be noted that there is a type of stomach pain after eating that is commonly called stomach cramps. Stomach cramps actually occur in the muscles of the upper abdomen, not the stomach itself. If you eat a big meal and go for a run, you may find yourself experiencing this type of stomach cramp. There's a reason your mom told you not to go swimming right after eating.
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| Causes Of Stomach Pain After Eating |
The Main Causes of Stomach Pain after eating that may require medical attention:
1. Ulcers and Stomach Pain After Eating
If you have ulcers, any food you eat may irritate them, causing stomach pain after eating. You can get ulcers in the lining of the stomach itself, or you can get ulcers in the upper part of the intestine known as the duodenum.
2. Stomach cancer and Stomach Pain After Eating
Unfortunately, stomach pain after eating may indicate a tumor in your stomach. The incidence of stomach cancer has been declining for decades in the United States, but it is still a possibility.
3. Gastroenteritis or 'stomach flu' and Stomach Pain After Eating
Vomiting and stomach upset are common when you have a stomach virus. Vomiting is a natural way to get rid of the bacteria in your stomach. Of course, it is not uncommon to feel some abdominal discomfort and nausea at the same time, especially after eating.
People often use the words stomach ache when they're not actually talking about their stomach at all. The pain occurs in the abdominal area and the cause may not be related to the stomach.
A good example is the pain from diverticulitis. Diverticulitis is a condition of the colon in which small pouches form in the lining of the colon and then become inflamed. It's not uncommon for diverticulitis to cause abdominal pain after eating.
4. Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS and Stomach Pain After Eating
This condition is also known as spastic colon. It occurs when the intestines and colon do not properly absorb fluids from the food that passes through them. Symptoms include stomach pain after eating and bloating.
5. Chronic mesenteric insufficiency and Stomach Pain After Eating
this means that some of the mesenteric arteries in your stomach are blocked. While eating - and immediately after - the blood vessels in the digestive system become more active. If there is some kind of blockage in these blood vessels, you will likely experience pain. This is the same principle as chest pain that occurs when your heart does not get enough blood.
6. Heart problems and Stomach Pain After Eating
Angina,which is known as chest pain, is the most prominent symptom of an impending heart attack. But sometimes heart problems cause pain in the upper stomach area, too. This is called referred pain, and it occurs because certain types of food raise your blood pressure, making your heart work harder. Heart attacks tend to happen when your blood pressure is high and your heart is working harder.
7. Gallbladder problems and Stomach Pain After Eating
Gallbladder problems usually cause stomach pain after eating, especially if you have just eaten a fatty, high-cholesterol meal. When too much cholesterol builds up too quickly in the gallbladder, it becomes inflamed. This type of event is described as an attack of the gallbladder. Gallstones can also cause severe stomach pain after eating, which may last for a few minutes or a few hours.
8. Pancreatitis and Stomach Pain After Eating
The pancreas is another organ that is affected when food reaches the stomach and digestion begins. The pain begins in the upper abdomen and spreads to the sides and back. Pancreatitis usually occurs six to twelve hours after eating. Other symptoms include nausea, rapid pulse, or fever.
9. Lactose intolerance and Stomach Pain After Eating
When your digestive system has difficulty processing dairy products, you are said to be 'lactose intolerant'. Symptoms of lactose intolerance include abdominal discomfort, bloating, and fewer than three bowel movements per week.
10. Food poisoning and Stomach Pain After Eating
There are many, many ways to get food poisoning. You will feel pain, nausea, and vomiting sometime after eating - the amount of time depends on the type of food you eat and the germs causing the adverse reaction in your digestive system.
Drink plenty of fluids at mealtimes - Finally, it's not what you always eat, but what you drink that causes stomach pain after eating. If you fill your stomach with too much fluid during a meal, it inhibits digestion because the extra fluid dilutes the stomach acids needed to prepare your food. This can lead to discomfort and temporary stomach problems.
