[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Sign-in] [Mail] [Setup] [Help]
Status: Not Logged In; Sign In
|
Health See other Health Articles Title: Surprise! It's a Laxative! Yahoo News... Everyone likes a surprise every now and then, but I think it's safe to assume that few people would appreciate the type of surprise that sends them running to the bathroom suddenly and unexpectedly. In other words, foods and supplements with a covert laxative effect are something you'd probably want to know about in advance. Conversely, for folks who have trouble getting things moving in the bathroom, foods with bonus laxative properties may actually be a welcome addition to the diet. Regardless of whether laxatives are your friend or foe, knowledge is power. As such, I've compiled a list of some commonly-encountered foods and supplements that can have a laxative effect at various doses. [Read: 5 Common Causes of Belly Bloat .] -- "Immune Support" supplements. Popular products marketed to promote "immune support," such as Emergen-C or Airborne, contain high doses of Vitamin C -- generally about 1,000 milligrams per serving. (By way of context, this is about 17 times the recommended daily intake of 60mg.) While such mega doses of vitamin C are considered safe, intakes approaching the 2,000 milligram range can have a powerful laxative effect. Therefore, taking more than one immune support supplement daily -- or even a single immune support supplement in addition to your typical multivitamin or vitamin C-fortified B-complex supplement -- runs the risk of sending your bowels over the edge. -- Sugarless candy and gum. There is perhaps no better testament to the laxative properties of sugarless candy than the horrifying/hilarious testimonials appearing in Amazon.com reviews of a popular sugar-free gummy bear. The culprit? Sorbitol -- along with its cousins like mannitol, maltitol and xylitol. These poorly absorbed -- and therefore low-calorie -- sweeteners are collectively known as sugar alcohols, or polyols. Polyols arrive in the colon intact, where they attract water via osmosis and provide easily-fermented food for the resident bacteria -- a feeding frenzy that can produce gas and induce motility of the colon. The sum total of this process is laxation -- generally in a manner dependent on the dose consumed. Intakes in the 10 gram range can have a substantial laxative effect, whereas lower intakes may have a modest effect -- or none at all. As such, chewing a single piece of sugarless gum is likely to be digestively neutral for most people, whereas pounding fistfuls of sugar-free gummy bears constitutes flirting with digestive disaster. Of note, I've encountered at least one sugar-free, "low glycemic" energy bar with sugar alcohol content in the 10 to 12 gram range, so be aware that laxatives may lurk in such snack foods as well! -- Decaf. Most people are aware of coffee's magical ability to help stimulate a bowel movement, but many of my patients are under the impression that it's the caffeine that's responsible. Not necessarily so. In fact, coffee contains a natural compound called chlorogenic acid that appears to be responsible for inducing motor activity in the colon. And the effect is quick: research shows that increased peristalsis (muscle contractions) of the colon can happen within four minutes of drinking coffee! While the strength of this stimulatory effect has been shown to be about 20 percent higher in regular, caffeinated coffee compared to decaf, the latter still has a significant effect on the colon in its own right. This is why I often recommend decaf coffee in the morning soon after waking to my constipated patients who avoid caffeine due to its jittery side effects. It's also why I warn my patients prone to loose stools or urgent bowel movements that even decaf isn't necessarily safe for them to consume in the morning if they need to make it to an early meeting at work. -- Magnesium. Magnesium is a multi-tasking mineral essential to the function of numerous systems -- from muscle contraction and bone structure to maintaining regular heartbeat and utilizing food energy. At concentrated doses of 350 milligrams or more, such as those found in supplements, magnesium has a laxative effect; in fact, it's the active ingredient in Milk of Magnesia, and a common ingredient in the bowel prep protocol prescribed to flush out your gut before a colonoscopy. Magnesium from food does not have the same laxative effect, and even the most magnesium-rich foods, such as pumpkin seeds, nuts, dark leafy greens and beans and lentils, don't contain more than about 80 to 150 milligrams of magnesium per serving. Therefore, only people who use dietary supplements generally experience laxative side effects from magnesium -- particularly if taking multiple supplements whose doses add up: like a multivitamin, a bone health supplement and/or a vitamin marketed for migraine prevention. If you think magnesium's laxative properties may actually be of benefit to you, consult your doctor to make sure a higher dose is safe for you to take, as it can interact with certain other medications and supplements. [Read: Foods That Cause Bloating .] Tamara Duker Freuman, MS, RD, CDN, is a registered dietitian whose NYC-based clinical practice specializes in digestive disorders, celiac Disease, and food intolerances. Her personal blog, www.tamaraduker.com, focuses on healthy eating and gluten-free living. Just my opinion Sorbitol, mannitol, et al, are better known as sugar alcohols a nd they BAD NEWS for some of us. I am diabetic; have been almost 59 years. One drop of a sugar alcohol sends my blood sugar over 500 for exactly 72 hours to the minute. I know the 'why' and all that, so I read labels like crazy. But they also do the same thing to non-diabetics (as my doctor found out). They do not affect every person that way, but they also cause cataracts in diabetics and diabetic neuropathy. Talked to a drug company researcher who was going to release a medication that would counteract what sugar alcohols do, but they had to stop the trials in Phase III. He told me that I was the worst he had ever heard of. OK, so I'm 'sensitive'. Also cannot handle aspartamane or any other 'sugar'--except white sugar. That I can work off in 15 minutes+3. [Chili] Sorbitol is absolutely wicked when it comes to causing the runs and killer cramps. While house sitting a few years ago I picked up an 8" "sugar free" apple pie from the store. I thought oh wow sugar free I'll just eat apple pie for dinner. After eating 2/3 of the pie I was full and put the rest in the fridge. About 1:00 AM I was in the bathroom with cramps so painful I literally sat there crying and I'm a grown man. The pain was so intense I was convinced that somehow my colon had ruptured and I was wondering how I was going to get to the ER. The same thing happened to my daughter except it was a large bag of sour Gummy Bears and again Sorbitol was the culprit. She begged her boy friend to take her to the ER in the middle of the night. Neither of us will touch anything containing Sorbitol.+10-1 [Grim Reaper] Ducolax in pill form or its generic Bisacodyl form is a great overnight laxative. Usually works in 8 hours or less and doesn't cause violent cramps. If you got a hot one down the chute but it's two dry and bulbous to push out, then a Glycerin suppository is the answer. Shove one of those up the old fart valve and in an hour it will soften and lubricate. Plus is will cause irritation in the bowel wall and force that baby out.+5-1 [dfreybur] Sugar alcohols are only laxatives for some not for others. I suggest this is because some can absorb more of its calories than others. Even folks who get the runs from sugar alcohol candy don't get it from gum because the amount is too small. Vitamin C. This is an okay way to figure out a good dosage. Run up to the amount that triggers the runs, as that amount is different for each person. Then take some amount lower than that, like half as much. There's an interesting point in this - When sick the body seems to consume *much* more vitamin C than when healthy. Try running up the amount you take when sick and you'll see it takes much more to trigger the runs than when you're healthy.+10-1 John Are there any foods that do the opposite? [AUricle] Cheese+5. [Grim Reaper Foods containing lots of fiber. They will at least firm up your stool so you don't grease your undies with a wet fart.+2 bagels! [Heather] Bananas are binders. Don't eat them if you have constipation problems. [bds] Apples or ground nutmeg for diarrhea [lokelau] Garcinia Cambogia [Amelia] I threw away a sample bottle of Garcinia Cambogia after only two doses. It was awful my tummy hurt so bad. I will keep dieting the tried and true way. [Fleendar The Magnificent] The WORST feeling is, "Surprise! It's a lump in your pants!". Ever have one of those farts that you really have to delicately negotiate because if you just 'let er rip', it ISN'T going to be just a fart? One of my co-workers did that some months back. He ripped a big one and as he did, his whole body went rigid, his eyes flew open and he uttered just 1 word.... Ooops.+4 [A Nonny Moose] A buddy of mine was borderline diabetic. So he munched on sugar free gummies instead. One day, he brought a whole bag of them to work and noticed that a lot went missing all that morning. Two of his co-workers got the runs REAL BAD that afternoon. He had found his culprits!!! [Satish] Every person's body is built differently. Your body may be allergic to some food to which others may not be. Running to the toilet after eating such allergenic food is normal and nothing to panic about. It is one of many allergic reactions. Just listen to your body and when it says "No please", don't eat it again !+3 Marie That Emergen-C thing is WAY over the recommended the daily minimum of vitamin C and ascorbic acid can wreak havoc with your digestive tract. How about some nice leafy greens instead ? It's highly unlikely you'll overeat on something to the point of getting sick, at least you won't do it more than once. Magnesium is available in almonds, pistachios and seafood, which most people like. Magnesium can slow your heart rate so you have to be careful if you are already on medication. That's how Old Man Rodale checked out. +1-4 [Tony D] Marie you are totally under informed and this article is not helping you at all. Vitamin C is a digestive aid and it is impossible to get enough based on todays intrusions on our immune system. If you think magnesium will interfere with over 90% of the drugs on the market you are also wrong. Over 80% of Americans are magnesium deficient and magnesium deficiency is aggravated by most drugs. Magnesium acts as a calcium-channel blocker and will prevent misplaced calcium from stopping your heart on a dime. Don't wasted your money on chloride or oxide forms of any mineral since they are not well absorbed and will just give you expensive stools. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
I can't eat Activia.
|
||
|
[Home]
[Headlines]
[Latest Articles]
[Latest Comments]
[Post]
[Sign-in]
[Mail]
[Setup]
[Help]
|
||