Alcohol in large quantities can cause digestive problems such as nausea and diarrhea. Drinks with an alcohol content of up to 10% promote the formation of stomach acid. Irritation and even inflammation of the stomach lining can lead to nausea and vomiting caused by alcohol.
For this reason, some people tend to vomit if they consume too much alcohol. Alcohol affects the cells of the small intestine, which can cause diarrhea. In some people, after drinking alcohol, for example the next day, liquid stools can lead to diarrhoea.
Cause
Alcohol leads to temporary changes in the mucous membrane of the small intestine when consumed in excess, while chronic alcohol consumption can cause permanent digestive problems. The alcohol affects the electrolyte balance of the cells in the mucous membrane of the small intestine, more precisely the salt and water balance. Sodium is a mineral that regulates the water balance in the body.
Alcohol inhibits the absorption of sodium and the absorption of water into the cells. If there is more sodium in the liquid and the chyme in the intestines, this causes the salt to draw more water. This is a biological process called osmosis. All in all, the chyme remains more liquid on its way through the intestines and this leads to liquid stool and even diarrhoea.
Symptoms
In addition to diarrhea after alcohol consumption, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite are common. Painful abdominal cramps (tenesmus) may occur. If the diarrhoea is particularly severe and the patient does not drink enough, a fluid deficiency may occur (dehydration).
The dehydration can be recognized by a very dry tongue and dry skin. If one drinks too little, urination decreases and the urine is conspicuously dark in color. In the worst case, a massive lack of fluid can lead to a circulatory collapse.
Such an emergency situation must be taken seriously and should be evaluated by a doctor as soon as possible. Most people experience increased thirst in the context of a “hangover” and can avoid dehydration. In addition to these symptoms, diarrhoea after alcohol can be accompanied by other symptoms.
Headaches often occur after a pronounced consumption of alcohol, often in connection with a lack of concentration. Various reasons can cause green diarrhoea. The coloration of the stool is generally strongly dependent on the diet.
Green vegetables that contain a lot of chlorophyll can influence the color of the stool in large quantities without anything pathological being present. Some diarrheal diseases cause green coloring of the stool. The cause of green diarrhea is that the digestive disorder (caused by alcohol, for example) prevents the bile from being processed sufficiently and ends up in the stool in a different form than in healthy digestion.
Green diarrhea after alcohol is a sign of impaired digestion and disturbance in bile metabolism. In addition, certain bacterial pathogens can cause green stool, which should be clarified by a physician in case of further infection symptoms. Yellow stools can have various causes.
Foods such as eggs, dairy products and foods that contain a lot of starch can cause yellowing of the stool. Animal foods contain haemoglobin and make the stool look darker. Sterkobilin, a waste product of hemoglobin, can make the stool both yellow and brown.
The more sterkobilin is contained in the faeces, the darker the stool becomes. In case of diarrhoea, the stool is very thin, which means that it contains a lot of water. This also dilutes the color.
Therefore, diarrhea is usually yellow, simply because of the dilution of the coloring ingredients. In the stomach, the alcohol often leads to irritation of the mucous membrane and, if consumed regularly, may even cause inflammation (gastritis). This can result in functional restrictions that affect the absorption and utilization of food.
This leads to the stomach rejecting the food – vomiting occurs. If the stomach environment is very acidic and vomiting is frequent, ruptures of the mucous membrane and bleeding in the stomach entrance can occur. The body reacts to the problems with processing the food with nausea and loss of appetite to interrupt further eating.
Stomach or abdominal pain that occurs after the consumption of alcohol can be caused by pathological processes in various organs. If one drinks alcohol only occasionally, the gastrointestinal tract is often responsible for the pain in the stomach.With regular alcohol consumption, organs such as the liver, pancreas or gall bladder suffer and can cause pain in the upper abdomen. The increased production of stomach acid after alcohol consumption can damage the stomach lining. In the case of inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach (gastritis), stinging pain in the upper abdomen can occur up to cramps, the so-called tenesmus.
All articles in this series:
