1. Avoid excessive drinking
Alcohol can directly damage the gastric mucosa. It can also cause cirrhosis of the liver and chronic pancreatitis, which in turn aggravates the damage to the stomach.
2. Avoid smoking addiction
Smoking can cause vasoconstriction of the gastric mucosa and reduce the synthesis of prostaglandins, which are mucosal protective factors. Smoking can also stimulate the secretion of gastric acid and pepsin, worsening the damage to the mucosa.
3. Avoid irregular eating habits
When hungry, gastric acid and pepsin in the stomach have no food to neutralize, leading to a higher concentration that can easily cause self-digestion of the mucosa. Overeating can damage the stomach's self-protection mechanisms; excessive expansion of the stomach wall and prolonged food retention can also contribute to stomach damage.
4. Avoid unclean food
Helicobacter pylori infection is one of the major causes of gastric and duodenal ulcers. In patients with ulcers, the detection rate of this bacterium is as high as 70-90%, and it disappears after the ulcer is cured. Ulcer patients can transmit the infection through close contact such as tableware, dental utensils, and kissing. Unclean food is also one of the causes of infection.
5. Avoid eating too much for dinner
Some people tend to concentrate all their daily nutrition in dinner, or like to eat late-night snacks or something before bed. This not only leads to poor sleep and obesity but can also stimulate the gastric mucosa to secrete too much gastric acid, inducing ulcer formation.
6. Avoid eating too quickly
After food enters the stomach, it is stored, ground, and digested into a chyme-like substance before being discharged into the intestine. If food is chewed improperly and eaten quickly, its roughness will increase the burden on the stomach, prolong its stay time, and can lead to damage to the gastric mucosa. In addition, chewing slowly can increase saliva secretion, reduce gastric acid and bile secretion, and help protect the stomach.
7. Avoid coffee and strong tea
Coffee and strong tea are central nervous system stimulants that can lead to gastric mucosal ischemia through reflexes, destroying the protective function of the gastric mucosa and promoting ulcer formation.
8. Avoid滥用药物
Drugs that are prone to damaging the gastric mucosa are mainly three types: acetylsalicylic acid drugs such as aspirin; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as phenylbutazone, indomethacin, and ibuprofen; and hormone drugs such as corticosteroids. Therefore, the use of these drugs should be avoided as much as possible. If they must be taken, the dosage and course of treatment should be controlled, and it is best to take them after meals.