[Click! Health] Increasing Year-End and New Year Gatherings... Beware of Digestive Health

As the year comes to an end, various gatherings such as company dinners, year-end parties, and New Year's parties increase. While these are enjoyable occasions to meet with friends and share reflections on the year, experts advise caution as excessive drinking and overeating can lead to various digestive disorders.

[Image source=Clipart Korea]

Bu Ji-won, head of the Department of Gastroenterology at Incheon Himchan General Hospital, said, “Frequent drinking and overeating during social gatherings can cause symptoms such as gastrointestinal motility disorders and increased gastric acid secretion, leading to various digestive diseases. If constipation, diarrhea, or stomach upset, which everyone experiences at least once after a company dinner, occur frequently, it is best to undergo examination and receive treatment based on the cause.”

If you experience persistent chest tightness and acid reflux, you should suspect gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD occurs when the esophageal sphincter, which tightens the passage between the esophagus and stomach to prevent stomach acid from flowing backward, becomes loose, causing stomach acid to reflux into the esophagus. According to statistics from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, about 4.9 million patients visited hospitals for GERD last year, with December?when year-end gatherings are frequent?showing a higher number of patients compared to other months.

GERD is mainly caused by frequent alcohol consumption, intake of greasy foods, and late-night snacks. Many people also lie down immediately after eating when tired, which can cause food and stomach acid to reflux together. Since stomach acid is acidic, it irritates the relatively vulnerable esophagus, causing an inflammatory response. Especially when vomiting after drinking, stomach acid can come up and damage the esophagus, leading to GERD. Symptoms such as heartburn, a foreign body sensation in the throat, voice changes, nausea, and gagging within 30 minutes after eating may indicate GERD.

If symptoms are severe, inflammation in the esophagus can cause swallowing difficulties or pain when swallowing food and saliva. Reducing greasy food intake and abstaining from alcohol can easily improve symptoms, but if symptoms persist, medication such as acid suppressants and gastrointestinal motility stimulants may be necessary.

Another digestive disease caused by excessive drinking and overeating at year-end is acute pancreatitis. This is an inflammation of the pancreas, which functions as both a digestive and endocrine organ, and can be classified as acute or chronic. Although acute pancreatitis has various causes, alcohol consumption is considered the primary factor. When a large amount of alcohol is consumed at once, the pancreas excessively secretes pancreatic juice to metabolize the alcohol. If this pancreatic juice does not fully flow into the duodenum and refluxes back into the pancreas, it damages pancreatic cells, causing acute pancreatitis.

Acute pancreatitis often presents with severe upper abdominal pain that is difficult to endure, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The pain worsens when lying down and decreases when curling up. Diagnosis is made by combining clinical findings with blood tests and imaging studies such as computed tomography (CT). Most cases of acute pancreatitis improve with abstinence from alcohol, fasting, fluid therapy, and pain management. However, repeated episodes of acute pancreatitis can lead to chronic pancreatitis, which is a major risk factor for pancreatic cancer, so caution is necessary.

[Photo by Himchan Hospital]

The best way to prevent various digestive diseases during the year-end season with many drinking occasions is abstinence from alcohol. However, if you must attend year-end drinking events, it is advisable to drink moderately and avoid drinking more than twice a week. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a daily alcohol intake of less than 40g (equivalent to 4 glasses of soju) for men and less than 20g (2 glasses of soju) for women.

During drinking, it is advisable to drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration and delay alcohol absorption in the body. Consuming protein-rich side dishes that help regenerate damaged liver cells, as well as fruits and vegetables that aid alcohol metabolism, is also beneficial. Excessive food intake can cause digestive problems, so it is better to control meal portions and eat slowly in small amounts. Greasy or spicy foods also stimulate the digestive system and can trigger symptoms, so it is best to avoid them.

Bu Ji-won, head of the Department of Gastroenterology at Incheon Himchan General Hospital, said, “Symptoms of digestive diseases are often considered common and temporary and are neglected, but efforts to correct overeating and irregular eating habits are important. If you frequently experience indigestion, bloating, or chest discomfort, it is advisable to consult a specialist, and for those over middle age, regular endoscopic examinations are recommended to identify the cause.”