How to Prevent Autumn Diarrhea
Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Chief Physician of Gastroenterology Department, Chen Niwei
As the temperature gradually cools, it's once again the high season for autumn diarrhea. Autumn diarrhea is an intestinal disease caused by multiple pathogens and factors, with human rotavirus being the most common pathogen. It most commonly affects children under 2 years of age, but can also occur in children or adults. The incidence of autumn diarrhea in adults is no less than in children; it's just that adults have stronger immune systems and milder symptoms. Sometimes, adult autumn diarrhea seems to occur "for no reason," as if there's nothing wrong with their diet, and they are covered with a quilt when sleeping at night, yet diarrhea still strikes.
Research has found that the incidence of diarrhea is closely related to climate change and a decrease in gastrointestinal immunity. After autumn begins, the weather gradually cools, and the temperature difference between day and night is significant. When the human body is stimulated by cold air, it can cause dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, an increase in histidine in the blood, a large increase in gastric acid secretion, and spasmodic contractions of the stomach and intestines. Additionally, as the weather turns cooler, people's appetites increase, leading to a greater burden on the stomach and intestines. Coupled with factors like high work pressure, physical fatigue, and irregular diets that trigger a decrease in the body's immunity, these factors can easily lead to diarrhea.
How to Prevent Autumn Diarrhea
Firstly, autumn diarrhea is an intestinal disease that is mainly transmitted through the digestive tract, but it can also be caused by close contact and respiratory infections. Therefore, it is very important to practice good isolation for the digestive and respiratory tracts. In daily life, you should pay attention to:
1. Do not eat raw or cold food. Eat cooked food, drink boiled water, and wash your hands frequently, especially before meals and after using the toilet. When traveling, be sure to pay attention to food hygiene and safety.
2. Wash and disinfect tableware before use, and let it air dry after use.
3. Food must be placed in a clean container in the refrigerator, and must be re-boiled before eating.
4. Do not keep windows tightly closed just because the weather is cold and you are afraid of catching a chill. Maintain good air circulation in the room to reduce the chance of viral infection.
5. Pay attention to keeping warm and adjust your clothing according to the weather changes.
6. You should exercise more to enhance your physical fitness; maintain adequate sleep and rich nutrition, which helps prevent intestinal infectious diseases.
Secondly, it is also recommended to develop the habit of long-term supplementation of lactic acid bacteria to improve gastrointestinal immunity and help prevent autumn diarrhea.
Lactic acid bacteria are the main microbial flora in the digestive tract. As living organisms, they can colonize in the intestine, maintain the balance of the intestinal flora, stimulate intestinal mucosal immune tissue to produce immunoglobulins and cytokines, and promote the differentiation of immune cells, which is of great significance to intestinal mucosal immunity. Lactic acid bacteria can break down lactose to produce a large amount of lactic acid, making the human intestine acidic. This acidic environment is not conducive to the survival and reproduction of spoilage bacteria, can inhibit their toxin-producing effect in the human body, and also has the effect of cleansing the intestines and promoting digestion. Many clinical studies have shown that climate change, mental factors, and physical fatigue can all lead to an imbalance in the intestinal flora. Therefore, in the autumn with changing temperatures and large temperature differences between day and night, especially for children, the elderly, and office workers with high stress, regularly consuming active lactic acid bacteria can prevent autumn diarrhea and protect gastrointestinal health. Wei Quan Active Lactic Acid Bacteria contains 30 billion live bacteria per 100ml, making it a good choice for effectively increasing the number of lactic acid bacteria in the human intestine.
Editor's Tips:
1. To ensure the activity of the bacteria, active lactic acid bacteria are the best choice for supplementation. Consumers can purchase active lactic acid acid beverages sold in the refrigerated section of supermarkets, as they need to be stored at low temperatures to ensure the activity of the bacteria.
2. When selecting a product, consumers should pay attention to the content of active lactic acid bacteria. Only when the number of live bacteria reaches a certain level can it ensure that the live lactic acid bacteria play their due role in promoting intestinal digestion within the shelf life. Therefore, choosing Wei Quan Active Lactic Acid Bacteria with 30 billion live bacteria per 100ml will have a better effect.