What is beer diarrhoea?
Beer diarrhea is the frequent bowel movements after the consumption of beer. This is usually soft to liquid and is often accompanied by flatulence and abdominal cramps. Many people develop gastrointestinal complaints after excessive alcohol consumption and so beer diarrhoea is not uncommon.
It usually occurs the next morning, after an alcohol-intensive night. In rare cases, however, diarrhoea can occur just a few hours after beer consumption. Fortunately it is only of short duration and usually stops on its own after one or two days. The extent and intensity of the symptoms, however, vary from person to person and vary with the amount drunk and the type of alcohol.
Causes
As the name suggests, beer diarrhea is mainly due to the drinking of beer. However, not only beer, but also other drinks can cause diarrhea, as alcohol is often responsible for the gastrointestinal complaints. During digestion in the small intestine, this leads to less salts and water being absorbed and thus remaining in the intestine.
This changes the usual consistency of the stool and you have soft to liquid diarrhea. In addition, the alcohol ensures that food takes more time to pass through the gastrointestinal tract and more gases are produced. The barley and yeast also contained in beer intensify this process, so that in addition to diarrhoea, increased flatulence can also occur.
Brewer’s yeast
The yeast in beer consists of unicellular microorganisms and is a basic component of beer. More precisely, it is a fungal species responsible for the conversion of malt sugar into alcohol during the preparation of beer. This process is called alcoholic fermentation. Gases are released during this process, which on the one hand ensures the sparkling taste of the beer due to carbonic acid, but on the other hand causes an increased gas development in the intestine during digestion. The type of yeast used depends on the type of beer, so it may be that certain beers are better or worse tolerated.
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