Moms and grandmothers warned us from childhood: eat regularly, otherwise you will earn a stomach ulcer. We decided to check whether it is true due to a missed lunch can occur an ulcer of the stomach or is it another horror story.

Internet users divided stories, as in childhood, they were often scared: supposedly if miss Some meals, you can earn a stomach ulcer. Write that an ulcer arises from wrong And irregular food, and Medical sites, including Official, for example regional Ministry of Health. In addition irregular eating in the occurrence of an ulcer They are accused nutrition dry, on the go, "One sandwich", abuse chips And soda, and also too much Cold or too hot food.

Stomach ulcer (apple), saying scientific language, this is a defect in the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract, usually a stomach (gastric ulcer) or the initial parts of the duodenum (duodenal ulcer), which penetrates the muscle plate. One of the most characteristic symptoms of this pathology is popularly called hungry (or sucking) pain. In addition, the patient Maybe suffer from heartburn, acidic belching, nausea and vomiting, weight loss. Yabzh is a common pathology, in the world it is already diagnosed 4% of the total population. Russian Gastroenterological Association CountedThat up to 14% of all men and up to 11% of women will face her throughout life.

Probably, it was the popular name of characteristic pains (hungry, sucking) that formed the basis that irregular nutrition is the cause of the ulcer. The second possible option is that when appearance characteristic pains Helps Immediately eat something (for example, bosses or dried bread).

For a long time, a scientific consensus considered an ulcer a disease of a stressful nature. Hungarian endocrinologist Hans Selye Passed rats of various stress factors: severe heat or cold, continuous physical exertion, loud sounds, and toxic substances. After about 48 hours of such experiments, the animals weakened and gradually died, and in their gastrointestinal tract, damage characteristic of apple were found. Selye transferred his observations from rats to people, examining patients whose body began to fail for no reason. Their symptoms did not fit any well -known disease, so the endocrinologist introduced the term “suffering syndrome”. The stomach ulcer also began to be considered a stressful pathology.

In 1979, Australian pathologist Robin Warren Cultivated In the artificial environment, the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. Together with his colleague Barry Marshall in 1983, Warren discovered that the bacterium neutralizes gastric acid, thereby causing gastritis and apple. At the same time, the scientific community was in no hurry to accept the point of view of scientists and abandon neurogenic theory in favor of the bacterial. To confirm his discovery, Barry Marshall decided on a radical step. He prepared a drink based on a cultivated bacterium Helicobacter pylori and drank it. A few days later, he demonstrated the changes characteristic of apple in his stomach. Then Marshall cured himself with a course of antibiotics, to which the bacterium was sensitive. In 2005, the opening of Warren and Marshall was awarded Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for the discovery of the bacterial nature of the stomach ulcer.

Thus, scientists managed to prove that a stomach ulcer is a predominantly bacterial disease with a clear pathogen and treatment methods. To date Countedthat Helicobacter pylori is responsible for 90% of cases of duodenal ulcers and 70% stomach ulcers. However, the bacterium is not always responsible for this pathology.

Second provoking The moment is the use of non -steroidal anti -inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). To this group of substances Relate Aspirin, Analgin, Ibuprofen, Meloxicam, Diclofenac, etc. These drugs disrupt normal protection and restoration of the gastric mucosa, making it more sensitive to acid. Smoking violates Healing of the ulcer and increases the frequency of relapses, but alcohol, although it serves as a strong stimulant of acidic secretion, does not contribute to either the appearance of an ulcer or a longer healing. At the same time, smoking in itself does not cause an ulcer either.

In third place after bacteria and NSAIDs is a genetic factor. Analyzing genotypes 456 327 British, scientists Identified Eight loci (genes of genes on the map of chromosomes) that contribute to the development of appropriation. The same hypothesis is confirmed by the fact that 50-60% of children suffering from a duodenal ulcer, have Injured family history. To even more rare reasons for the occurrence of stomach ulcers Related:

Zollinger syndrome - Ellison (tumor of the islet apparatus of the pancreas);
malignant processes (stomach cancer, lung cancer, lymphoma);
some viral infections;
vascular failure;
radiation therapy;
Crohn's disease (or non -specific ulcerative colitis);
chemotherapy;
shock (extensive burns, injuries, surgical interventions).

American college of gastroenterology in a viewing article on appropriate Analyzed Myths about this disease: “ulcers are not caused by emotional stress or anxiety. They are not caused by spicy food or diet. Some products can irritate the already formed ulcer, but food is not the cause of the ulcer. People with this diagnosis do not need to adhere to a strict diet all their lives. The days when patients with ulcers eat only a certain set of products have gone the past. ”

At the same time, regular nutrition is an important part of the treatment of already formed stomach ulcers. As part of special therapy Required Take the drugs prescribed by the doctor, and then eat something to the specified interval (usually 30 minutes or hour).

And although irregular nutrition does not cause a stomach ulcer, it is still not useful for the body, since it can become The reason for the violation of the secretion of hydrochloric acid and a decrease in the quality of the separated gastric juice. In addition, with irregular nutrition, people often eat on the go and abuse fast food. Moreover, Swedish doctors during the 27-year observation found outthat irregular nutrition in adolescence is associated with the risk of developing metabolic syndrome (excess of adipose tissue in the waist, an increased level of blood glucose, an increased level of cholesterol in the blood, hypertension).

Thus, although irregular nutrition does not lead to an ulcer of the stomach, as they scared us in childhood, it provokes many other states harmful to health. Therefore, it is better to monitor the frequency of meals and try to snack on the go as rare as possible.

Image on the cover: Photo by Sajad Nazran on UNSPLash