Why Does Your Stomach Hurt After Eating?

If you often have a stomachache after eating, you're not alone, a new survey finds. One in 10 people experience frequent meal-related pain.

This includes 13% of women and 9% of men, and is most common in 18- to 28-year-olds (15%), according to an online survey of more than 54,000 people in 26 countries.

"The take-home message from this study is that people who experience meal-related abdominal pain more frequently experience other gastrointestinal symptoms," researcher Esther Colomier, a doctoral student at KU Leuven in Belgium, and the University of Gothenburg in Sweden says.

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Symptoms of gastro issues

These individuals also were more likely to have bloating, a swollen stomach, a feeling of being too full after eating or filling up too quickly. They also reported having constipation and diarrhea, as well as more psychological distress and other symptoms.

"They also have a higher burden of psychological and somatic symptoms, such as back pain or shortness of breath, which are associated with major distress and functioning problems," Colomier shares. "These symptoms cause distress and disruption in daily life."

Symptoms such as constipation and diarrhea were experienced in 30% of those who reported frequent pain after eating, compared with 20% of those with occasional symptoms and 10% of others. The same applied to bloating and abdominal distension symptoms, the findings show.

How to find relief

Avoid trigger foods: Keep a food diary of everything you eat and take note of any foods that may cause you postprandial diarrhea (PD) or pain after meals. Also avoid eating fatty foods, fiber, and dairy. These foods are often associated with gastro issues.

Practice food safety: Eliminate any bacteria that may be lurking on your foods by washing your fruits and vegetables thoroughly, cooking meat to the proper temperature and refrigerating foods that should be kept cold.

Eat smaller portions: If you suffer from gastro issues, your intestines may digest food more easily if you have five to six small meals a day instead of three big ones.

Reduce stress: Stress and worry can easily upset your stomach. Try managing your stress and anxiety. This will not only help your

digestive health, but your mental health as well.

When to see a doctor

Diarrhea may happen from time to time and is not always a cause for concern. However, if you experience any of the following symptoms, you should seek professional help, according to Healthline:

Frequency: If diarrhea occurs several times a week for more than three weeks, or if you have diarrhea for three days in a row, make an appointment with your doctor.

Fever: If you have diarrhea and a fever over 102°F (38.8°C), seek medical treatment.

Pain: If the diarrhea is common but you start experiencing severe abdominal pain or rectal pain during a BM, talk with your doctor.

Dehydration: Staying properly hydrated when you have diarrhea is important. Water or drinks that contain electrolytes can help you stay well despite the diarrhea. However, if you start showing signs of dehydration, seek medical attention.

Signs of dehydration include:

extreme thirst
confusion
muscle cramps
dark-colored urine

RELATED: Why Is My Poop That Color?

Discolored stool: If you start having black, gray, or bloody stools, talk with your doctor. These can be signs of a more serious gastrointestinal problem.

Colomier suggests that meal-related symptoms should be considered when diagnosing such disorders as irritable bowel syndrome and bloating — a category of health problems known as DGBIs, disorders of gut-brain interactions.

READ: 10 Natural Ways to Improve Digestive Health

"In clinical practice, assessing meal association in all patients with DGBIs could be of major importance for improving and individualizing treatment. Here, patients could benefit from a multidisciplinary care approach, including dietary and lifestyle advice, psychological support and pharmacological therapy," Colomier adds.

Although there isn't a tool or test that can help doctors identify what may be causing your gastro issues, they may recommend certain treatment methods one at a time until they are able to find one that works consistently. This will help doctors understand what is causing your gastro issues and come up with a permanent treatment plan.