Specialists demolish 10 myths on intestinal health

2) Restrictive diets help cure gastrointestinal symptoms

Another specialist, Tamara Duker Freuman is a dietitian in New York Gastroenterology Associates, and warned that another very widespread lie is that eliminating several combinations of food – such as cereals, legumes, dairy, eggs and soybeans – helps to calm the inflammation and cure its intestine.

However, there is nothing in these foods that is inherently inflammatory, said Freuman. Following restrictive diets can also cause nutrients or eating disorders.

3) Food sensitivity can be diagnosed with a single test

Although it is increasingly common for companies to sell homemade tests to test the level of food sensitivity analyzing blood or a little hair. However, Kate Mintz, a nutritionist of UCLA Health specialized in intestinal health, remarked that they were not rigorously evaluated.

In addition, their results often suggest that people avoid a long list of food, sometimes some with whom they never had problems, which can be confusing or induce them to follow unnecessarily restrictive diets, he said.

4) Stress can cause ulcers

Another very popular myth is that stress or other lifestyle factors can generate peptic ulcers.

This idea changed in the 1980s, when scientists discovered that Helicobacter Pylori, a bacterium that drills the stomach protective lining, caused many peptic ulcersrecalled William Chey, chief of gastroenterology at Michigan Medicine. Frequent use of non -steroidal anti -inflammatories, such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen, can also cause them.

Do not treat the “background cause” of ulcers – with antibiotics if they are caused by H. pylori or reducing the use of non -steroidal anti -inflammatories if these are the culprits, for example – can allow them to reappear, said Chey.

5) You clean them with juices and fasts can cure the intestine

Taking juices is fine in moderation, said Morgan Sendzischew Shane. However, some may have a High sugar content, he said, and “they really don’t help clean anything.”

In fact, extract the fruit and vegetable juice eliminates its fiber, which feeds beneficial intestinal microbes and regulates intestinal movements. It is best to mix the products in a smoothie, which does not eliminate the fiber, or prepare a salad, Shane advised.

6) Colorectal cancer especially affects older people

Although historically colon cancer was associated with older adults, rates increased in young people and is currently the main cause of death related to cancer between men under 50 and the second most frequent among women in that group Age

7) Eating nuts and pochoclos can cause diverticulitis

Diverticulitis occurs when the small bags of the colon wall become inflamed, causing abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, constipation, cramps or fever.

Many times, for patients with this picture they recommended avoiding nuts, nuts, seeds and pochoclos, thinking they could stood on the wall of the colon and cause inflammation, said Nitin Ahuja, gastroenterologist at the University of Pennsylvania.

But that turned out to be wrong, he explained. In fact, some investigations suggest that People who consume nuts or pochoclos are actually less likely to develop diverticulitis than those who do not. These foods contain fiber, which is associated with a lower risk of diverticulitis.

8) Eating beans and other foods containing lectinas can cause a permeable intestine

Some influencers say that certain foods that contain chemical substances called lectinas – including beans, cereals and some vegetables – cause inflammation and intestinal covering “more permeable”, Which can allow Microbes and toxic substances pass from the intestine to other parts of the body.

All plants contain lectinas, and these are especially high in the beans; Therefore, eating raw or semi -rudes can cause gastrointestinal discomfort. However, most of the lectinas are destroyed by cooking them, so you do not have to worry about their levels in the beans, cereals or other cooked foods, said Justin Sonnenburg, professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University.

9) Irritable intestine syndrome is mental

Abdominal pain, swelling, diarrhea, constipation: the symptoms of irritable intestine syndrome (SII) are real and can be weakening. However, historically this disorder was accompanied by a certain stigma, partly because It does not have a diagnostic testscientists do not completely understand their cause and certain mental disorders – such as anxiety and depression – They can aggravate it.

Baha Moshiree, gastroenterologist at Atrium Health Wake Forest, in Charlotte, North Carolina, explained that SII is a disorder of intestine-cerebro interaction. Some nerves of the intestine – like those who perceive pain, for example – can be too sensitive, which can even make normal digestive functions painful.

10) Everyone must take probiotics for intestinal health

Although some people could benefit from taking probiotic supplements, There are few quality tests that suggest that most people need themsaid Brian Lacy, gastroenterologist and medical professor at the Mayo Clinic of Jacksonville, Florida.

Thousands of microbial species live in the intestine, he explained, so it is unlikely that a small capsule that contains only one or a few living strains does a lot to improve it.

“An optimal intestine,” Kayla Hopkins concluded, Atrium Health Gastroenterology and Hepatology nutritionist in Charlotte – does not start with lots of pills and lots of potions if you can avoid it. It simply begins with balanced and varied nutrition. ”