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Priyanka Chugh, MD, is board-certified gastroenterologist with a background in internal medicine. She practices with Trinity Health of New England in Waterbury, Connecticut.
Experiencing diarrhea right after you eat is known as postprandial diarrhea. It may just have started occurring, in which case it is acute, or you may have had it for a long time and it is a chronic condition. Learning about the common causes of diarrhea after meals will help you be able to work with your healthcare provider on an effective treatment plan.
Any new or ongoing digestive symptom should be brought to the attention of your healthcare provider so that you can obtain an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. Although diarrhea after eating may be the result of one of the health conditions described here, it can also be a sign of other serious diseases.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
Acute diarrhea is a sudden onset of diarrhea episodes. Diarrhea due to any cause may occur after eating, as the simple act of eating stimulates muscle movement within your large intestine to empty your bowels. When you have an underlying cause such as an infection, food poisoning, or IBS, these contractions may be stronger and more painful than usual and come with a sense of urgency.
These may be causes of acute diarrhea:
Follow these tips when you have a bout of diarrhea:
You should call your healthcare provider immediately if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:
An ongoing problem with diarrhea after meals may be due to a wide variety of health problems that have chronic diarrhea as a symptom. If you have one of these disorders, the simple act of eating a meal may serve as a trigger for diarrhea episodes.
Addressing the underlying illness can help to bring about relief from the symptom of running to the bathroom after meals:
Follow these tips if you have ongoing problems with diarrhea after eating:
New theories are emerging to suggest that something else might be going on for some patients who have been diagnosed with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D). Research on postprandial diarrhea is quite limited. Here are avenues that preliminary research has identified.
Two IBS researchers, Drs. Money and Camilleri, have proposed three possible causes for what they call “postprandial diarrhea syndrome.” They acknowledge that diagnostic markers are limited, and suggest that positive response to treatment of the theorized problem might serve as confirmation of the diagnosis.
They believe three diagnoses should be considered: bile acid malabsorption (BAM), pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, and glucosidase deficiency.
Excessive amounts of gastric acid have long been associated with the development of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). A small study found that GERD medications given to a group of IBS-D patients resulted in a significant decrease in symptoms of diarrhea and postprandial urgency. However, this finding has not been replicated.
A group of researchers found that, compared to healthy control subjects, IBS-D patients have lower amounts of water in the small intestine and it passes through quicker to the large intestine, which may contribute to postprandial diarrhea.
This research dovetails with the FODMAPs theory for IBS as foods with high osmotic value (meaning they produce higher volumes of fluid) are particularly troublesome for people with IBS. If true, the development of medications that would slow transit time and thus better regulate the flow of liquid into the large intestine may be of value.
Clearly, research into the factors behind postprandial diarrhea in IBS is quite limited, and therefore no definitive conclusions can be drawn. In addition, despite the variety of plausible theories explaining the problem, data regarding treatments for this condition don't exist, so it's unclear thus far which treatments will help patients, and which do not.
Hopefully, further research will shed more light on the subject and offer some effective treatment options. In the meantime, if you tend to experience urgent diarrhea episodes after eating, discuss the subject with your healthcare provider to see if any of the proposed interventions would be a safe option for you.
When diarrhea happens right after eating it becomes hard to enjoy a meal. You may become wary of what to eat and anxious about eating anything at all. You are not alone. Many people have this symptom. Work with your healthcare provider to find the underlying cause. You may be able to find solutions so you can enjoy your meals without fear of needing to rush to the restroom.
Some foods are more likely to cause diarrhea and may include foods high in sugar, dairy products, gluten-containing foods, fried foods or foods high in fat, spicy foods, and caffeine. For people with certain intolerances, FODMAP foods can produce diarrhea. These foods include wheat, rye, onions, garlic, artificial sweeteners, beans, pistachios, asparagus, and artichokes.
In addition to diarrhea, a person with food poisoning may experience stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, and fever. Depending on the bacteria responsible for the poisoning, it may take anywhere from 30 minutes to several days for symptoms to appear.
Yes, if the symptom is persistent, it is possible that diarrhea immediately after eating could be a sign of certain types of cancer. One instance of this symptom is not likely to be cancer. Bowel changes like chronic diarrhea may be a sign of colon, stomach, or pancreatic cancer, and any bowel changes should be reported to your physician.
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