Why does alcohol make my poo go weird? | the Conversation

As we head into the holidays, it's a good time to think about what all those festive alcoholic drinks can do to your gut.

Alcohol can affect the time it takes for food to pass through your intestines (also called 'transit time'). It can particularly affect the muscles of the stomach and small intestine (also called the small intestine).

So, how and why does alcohol make your poop go weird? Here's what you need to know.

Diarrhea and the 'transit time'

The effect of alcohol on gastric transit depends on the alcohol concentration.

In general alcoholic drinks such as whiskey and vodka with high alcohol concentrations (more than 15%) slow the movement of food in the stomach. Drinks with relatively low alcohol concentrations (such as wine and beer) speed up the movement of food in the stomach.

These changes in intestinal transit explain why some people may experience a feeling of fullness and abdominal pain when drinking vodka or whiskey.

How long a person drinks a lot of alcohol can affect small intestinal transit. We know about it experiments In rats, chronic alcohol consumption accelerates the transit of food through the stomach and small intestine.

This shortened transit time through the small intestine also occurs when people drink a lot of alcohol, and that does happen linked to diarrhea.

Alcohol is also possible reduce absorption of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine).

It can lead to reduced absorption of xylose (a kind of sugar). This means that there is diarrhea more likely to occur in drinkers who also consume a lot of sugary foods, such as sweets and sweetened juices.

Chronic alcohol use is also linked to:

This means that chronic alcohol consumption can lead to diarrhea and loose stools.

How can a night of heavy drinking affect your poop?

When rats are exposed to high doses Drinking alcohol in a short period of time results in a delay in small intestinal transit.

This suggests that acute alcohol ingestion (such as an episode of binge drinking) is more likely to lead to constipation than to diarrhea.

This is supported by research research into the effects of alcohol on 507 university students. These students had their stool collected and analyzed, and were asked to complete a stool form questionnaire known as the Bristol stool diagram.

The study found that an episode of heavy drinking was associated with harder, firm bowel movements. In particular, those who consumed more alcohol had more type 1 stools, which are individual hard lumps that look or feel a bit like nuts.

The researchers believed that this acute alcohol intake results in delays in small intestinal transit; the food stayed in the intestines longer, causing more water from the feces to be reabsorbed into the body. This led to drier, harder stools.

Interestingly, the researchers also found that there were more bacteria known as “Actinobacteriain heavy drinkers than in non-drinkers. This suggests that bacteria may play a role in fecal matter coherence.

But binge drinking doesn't always lead to constipation. For example, binge drinking is evident in patients with irritable bowel syndrome leads to diarrhea, nausea and abdominal pain.

What can I do about it?

If you experience unwanted bowel movements after drinking, limiting your alcohol intake is the most effective way to tackle this.

Some alcoholic drinks can affect your bowel movements more than others. If you notice a disturbing pattern of poop after drinking certain drinks, it may be wise to cut back on those drinks.

If you tend to get diarrhea after drinking, avoid mixing alcohol with caffeinated drinks. Caffeine is known to stimulate the contractions of the large intestine and can thus worsen the diarrhea.

If constipation is the problem after drinking, it is important to stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water before drinking alcohol (and drinking water between drinks and after the party is over) can help reduce dehydration and constipation.

You should also eat before drinking alcohol, especially protein and fiber rich foods. Food in the stomach can slow down absorption of alcohol and can help to protect against the negative effects of alcohol on the intestinal wall.

Is it something to worry about?

Changes in bowel movements after drinking are usually short-lived and, for the most part, resolve quite efficiently.

But if symptoms such as diarrhea persist for more than a few days after quitting alcohol, it could indicate other problems, such as an underlying intestinal condition such as inflammatory bowel disease.

Researchers have done that too linked Alcohol consumption can contribute to the development of irritable bowel syndrome. If problems persist or alarming symptoms occur, such as blood in the stool, seek medical advice from a GP.

This article was originally published by The Conversation. Vincent Ho is an associate professor and clinical academic gastroenterologist at Western Sydney University