{"id":28748,"date":"2022-02-18T01:54:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-18T01:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=28748"},"modified":"2022-03-01T00:37:00","modified_gmt":"2022-03-01T00:37:00","slug":"why-do-people-get-diarrhea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/why-do-people-get-diarrhea\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do people get diarrhea?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hannibal Person<\/a>, University of Washington<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Curious Kids<\/a> is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you\u2019d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why do people get diarrhea? \u2013 A.A.A., age 10, Philadelphia<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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The digestive system breaks down everything you eat and drink to absorb nutrients and make the energy your body needs. Whatever solids can\u2019t be broken down and used get excreted as poop<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poop comes in many shapes, sizes, colors and consistencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doctors like me<\/a> who treat people with digestive issues use what\u2019s called the Bristol stool scale<\/a> to grade poop texture. It goes from Type 1 \u2013 separate hard lumps \u2013 to Type 7 \u2013 liquid with no solid pieces. The texture of the best poops, Type 4, resembles a mushy banana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When your poop is loose and watery<\/a> and comes out that way at least three times a day, you have diarrhea<\/a>. It can be uncomfortable and inconvenient, because diarrhea tends to come out quickly and with little warning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Illustration<\/a>
The Bristol stool scale puts poop into seven categories that range from the hard pellets of constipation to the splotchy liquid of diarrhea. VectorMine\/iStock via Getty Images Plus<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Beware of bad germs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By the time food passes out of the stomach, it\u2019s a liquid that travels through the small intestine, where nutrients are absorbed. The leftovers flow into the large intestine, where water is absorbed and poop forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the small intestine or the large intestine can\u2019t do its job, poop will be liquid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diarrhea usually occurs because of infections caused by many different viruses, bacteria and parasites<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why there are rules about keeping drinking water clean<\/a> and food safe<\/a>. It\u2019s also why you should wash your hands before eating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These germs cause diarrhea a few different ways. Often, they irritate the intestines, interfering with water absorption. Some germs cause diarrhea by releasing chemicals<\/a> that make the intestines release fluid, making poop even more watery. When these germs come from food<\/a>, symptoms can include vomiting, belly pain and diarrhea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be sure, not all microbes are bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, your digestive system is filled with billions of bacteria<\/a> and other germs that help you digest food and protect you from bad germs. Taking antibiotics for an infection can cause diarrhea<\/a> by killing off these good bacteria along with the ones that originally made you sick. But people usually get better once they finish prescribed antibiotics and the good bacteria have a chance to recover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People with diarrhea need to consume lots of liquids to stay hydrated. Water is best. Avoid juice<\/a> and soda<\/a>, which can worsen diarrhea. Also refrain from foods that can make your digestive system work harder, like dairy products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eating sweet potatoes, oats, beets<\/a> and other high-fiber foods may help firm up loose poops. Never take a medication, even if doesn\u2019t require a prescription, for diarrhea without asking a doctor first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many other causes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are many other causes of diarrhea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people are born with or develop conditions over the course of their lives that can cause diarrhea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A common example is lactose intolerance<\/a>. Lactose is a sugar that is in milk that requires a special enzyme, called lactase<\/a>, to digest it in the small intestine. There are people who have little, or even none, of this enzyme in their small intestine. As a result, lactose travels into their large intestine without being broken down and absorbed \u2013 leaving poop very runny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celiac disease<\/a> can also trigger diarrhea. People with it have trouble digesting gluten<\/a>, a protein found in wheat and additional grains. For people with celiac disease, eating gluten can damage the small intestine by activating their own immune system. This damage is reversible through a gluten-free diet, but diarrhea may continue until the small intestine heals and can do its job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others have digestive system allergies<\/a>. They need to avoid eating specific foods to prevent diarrhea and other symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some medications make you poop more often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also medical conditions, like inflammatory bowel disease<\/a>, such as Crohn\u2019s disease<\/a> and ulcerative colitis<\/a>, in which the small intestine, large intestine or both become inflamed over a period of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even your brain can play a role: Experiencing anxiety or getting stressed out<\/a> can bring about loose poops. Some conditions, like irritable bowel syndrome<\/a>, where the brain and the intestines do not communicate well with each other, can lead to belly pain and diarrhea, particularly amid stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certain cancers<\/a> and some tumors<\/a> can cause diarrhea too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, for some people, eating spicy or fatty food or consuming artificial sweeteners or large amounts of caffeine<\/a> can result in diarrhea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if you find it icky, I recommend you pay attention to your poop. If you\u2019re having diarrhea all the time, rather than occasionally, you may need to see a doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you\u2019d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com<\/a>. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And since curiosity has no age limit \u2013 adults, let us know what you\u2019re wondering, too. We won\u2019t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hannibal Person<\/a>, Assistant Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, School of Medicine, University of Washington<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hannibal Person, University of Washington Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you\u2019d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Why do people get diarrhea? \u2013 A.A.A., age 10, Philadelphia The digestive system breaks down everything you eat and drink to absorb nutrients and make […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":28749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[42],"tags":[8530,6689,6786,11361,6908,9537,1074,2730,6044,11362,2853,742,7293,2197],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28748"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28748"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28841,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28748\/revisions\/28841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}