Modern people live a fast-paced life with high work stress, often having irregular meals, and many suffer from mild to severe gastrointestinal discomfort. The main reasons for this discomfort include the following:
1. Irregular lifestyle. Eating irregularly and without proper portion control can cause the intestines to become overly hungry or overly full, leading to abnormal intestinal movements. Over the long term, this can overload the gastrointestinal system.
2. Eating too quickly. This leads to inadequate chewing, preventing digestive juices and food from being thoroughly mixed. Consequently, food cannot be fully digested and broken down, causing harm to the intestines.
3. Unhygienic diet. Some bacteria in the intestines produce toxins, leading to acute gastroenteritis and other gastrointestinal diseases.
4. Eating too many greasy foods, which are difficult for the intestines to digest. Diets high in protein or fat can alter the gut microbiota, making it unfavorable for beneficial bacteria to survive. If excessive greasy food is consumed, the body's lipase and protease can become overwhelmed and eventually depleted.
5. Taking too many medications, which prevents beneficial gut bacteria from surviving, thereby weakening digestive capacity.
6. Physiological aging, which leads to a decline in the function of the digestive organs in the intestines.
7. Insufficient water intake or a lack of fiber can cause constipation, increasing the risk of secondary colorectal cancer.
8. Excessive stress directly affects physiological functions, particularly causing intestinal dysfunction. This can manifest as excessive stomach acid, slowed or accelerated intestinal motility. Excess stomach acid can damage the gastric mucosa, accelerated motility can cause frequent diarrhea, and slowed motility can lead to bloating.