Prof. Dr. Donka Baikova: Overeating On Holidays Poses Health Risks

Author: Marko Balašević Time for reading: ~2 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

Prof. Dr. Donka Baikova: Overeating On Holidays Poses Health Risks

Mixing different food groups and consuming them quickly disrupts the activity of the gastrointestinal system, says the nutrition expert.

The Christmas and New Year holidays are usually prone to overdoing the amount of food and alcohol consumed. How does this affect our body and health?

A healthy person goes through various restrictions and abundances of food and drink and usually copes without problems. But both extremes - excessive restriction, and overconsumption and overcombination of different foods and beverages, especially during the holidays, are a kind of stress for the body. He is facing the challenge of dealing with the situation. And every organ and system in the human body under stress and / or overwork can trigger a health problem.

In case of dietary imbalances, a reaction from the gastrointestinal tract is expected in the first place.

What happens when we overload the digestive system?

When the digestive system is overworked, there is a risk of developing various acute (acute) inflammatory processes, as the digestive glands are tasked with breaking down a large amount and variety of foods to its various ingredients (nutrients). It begins to secrete digestive juices with enzymes that compete competitively with their target substances to process and break them down. If this process takes place in conditions of overexertion, the risk of health problems is high and most often it is inflammation of the mucous membrane of the relevant part of the digestive system.

The powerful exogenous factor for the human body - food - primarily affects the work of the digestive organs - stomach, intestines, pancreas and biliary-hepatic system, and hence the functions of other organs and systems.

A well-known fact in medicine is that if any inflammatory process occurs in one of the organs of the digestive system - stomach / intestines, pancreas and biliary-hepatic system, reflexively a problem is expected in others. That is why the three organs are metaphorically called the "Bermuda Triangle".

What dietary mistakes during the holidays are most often a reason to visit a doctor, seek emergency care, go to the hospital?

In the first place, this is the intake for a short period of time of large quantities and different types of food and beverages. For their processing it is necessary to separate the appropriate enzyme system - for example, to digest proteins, fats, carbohydrates. In competitive overwork, the digestive glands are placed in conditions of increased risk of inflammation.

Consumption of alcoholic beverages is another risk situation for the body, because unlike other essential nutrients - carbohydrates, proteins, fats, absorption (absorption) of alcohol into the bloodstream begins from the mucous membrane of the upper digestive tract, from the oral cavity, after which is directed to the liver, where it is broken down. In comparison, the breakdown of carbohydrates begins in the oral cavity, proteins - in the stomach, fats in the intestine, and the absorption into the bloodstream of all three essential nutrients takes place at the level of the small intestine. Only the absorption of alcohol begins from the mucosa of the upper digestive tract and continues to the lower. This circumstance is associated with an increased risk of rapid intoxication, especially when we start the holiday with a concentrated drink, which is an unpopular tradition in other countries. Personally, I do not know where else but in our country, celebrations begin with the consumption of brandy as an aperitif, almost on an empty stomach.

Prof. Dr. Donka Baikova: Overeating On Holidays Poses Health Risks

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