Have you ever eaten to the point of discomfort? Loosening your belt yet still too full to stand straight, feeling nauseous but unable to vomit, tossing and turning all night...
Even occasional overindulgence can harm your organs and even lead to more dangerous consequences.
What happens to your body after overeating? And how can you mitigate the damage after a big meal?
Experts Interviewed
Wang Cheng, Chief Nursing Officer, and Qi Xiaoyun, Head Nurse, from the Second Digestive Internal Medicine Ward of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University.
Li Chenjie and Wang Xuehong, Chief Physicians in the Subspecialty of Hepatology within the Department of Digestive Internal Medicine at the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University.
What counts as “overeating”?
The stomach is a stretchable “container” for food. When completely empty, an adult’s stomach capacity (measured by solid food and liquids) is 50–100 milliliters, roughly the size of two strawberries. At a normal “80% full” level, it expands to 800–1,200 milliliters—equivalent to drinking 1–2 bottles of water.
“Overeating” typically refers to consuming at least 30% more than one’s normal food intake, potentially stretching stomach capacity to 2,000-4,000 milliliters—about the size of a watermelon.
Beyond sheer volume, “indulging” can also mean consuming excessive amounts of high-fat, high-sugar, or high-protein foods (like hotpot, cake, or fried chicken) within a short period.
While occasional overeating may not cause significant harm, frequent excessive consumption could stem from multiple factors:
Hormonal Imbalance
Leptin and ghrelin, the body’s “hunger hormones”, normally increase before meals and decrease after eating.
However, factors like poor sleep quality, inadequate exercise, or insufficient protein intake can disrupt these hormones’ secretion patterns, triggering increased appetite. Additionally, endocrine disorders such as hyperthyroidism and diabetes may cause constant hunger despite overeating.
Snack Temptation
With snacks readily available at home or workstations, people often unconsciously consume extra calories. Social dining situations exacerbate this, besides, abundant portions, diverse dishes, and distracted attention during conversations make it easy to overeat without realizing.
Emotional Triggers
When facing stress, emotional setbacks, or loneliness, “eating something delicious” becomes a coping mechanism for many. This emotional eating activates the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting dopamine secretion and providing temporary pleasure.
The Rebound Effect of Dieting
Weight-loss seekers may binge eat because their usual overly restrictive diet elevates cortisol (the stress hormone) levels, which interferes with satiety signals reaching the brain and increases cravings for high-calorie foods like desserts and milk tea.
What Happens to Your Body After Overeating?
While one or two big meals may not show obvious harm on the surface, internal systems can be thrown into chaos. This may subsequently worsen metabolic disorders, leading to issues like decreased insulin sensitivity and elevated blood lipids.
Cardiopulmonary Compression
With limited space in the body cavity, a rapidly distended stomach (several times its normal size after a meal) inevitably encroaches on the space of neighboring organs like the heart and lungs, restricting lung expansion.
That’s why after consuming large quantities of food in a short time, people often experience that “stuffed-to-the-bursting-point” feeling, which may lead to breathing difficulties, chest discomfort, and even myocardial ischemia or angina attacks.
Stomach “Burning”
Normally, the stomach takes 2-4 hours to digest a meal. But after overeating, even with increased gastric acid secretion, digestion may take up to 6 hours.
Some gastric acid may reflux into the esophagus, causing heartburn. In severe cases, the overstretched stomach wall may develop circulatory disorders, leading to localized necrosis, bleeding, or even gastric perforation.
Pancreas “Self-Destruction”
As the body’s second largest digestive gland, the pancreas goes into overdrive when processing large amounts of fatty or sugary foods, dramatically increasing pancreatic juice secretion. If unable to release this juice promptly, the pancreas essentially begins “digesting itself.”
Alcohol consumption exacerbates this condition by irritating pancreatic tissue, triggering inflammatory responses that can easily develop into acute pancreatitis, ranging from severe abdominal pain to life-threatening conditions.
Weakened Immunity
A study published in Nature Immunology found that a single high-fat meal can temporarily suppress the entire immune system, increasing intestinal susceptibility to pathogens. Simply put, every binge eating episode opens a time-limited “window of opportunity” for pathogenic infections.
Post-Binge “Damage Control” Matters
Even after complete digestion the next day, your organs remain in a state of prolonged hyperactivity and disorder, requiring proper recovery measures.
Hydrate Frequently in Small Amounts
High-fat and high-sugar foods often contain excessive sodium. Adequate water intake (preferably plain water, green tea, or lemon water) consumed gradually in 2,000-2,500 ml total helps accelerate sodium excretion through enhanced metabolism.
Replenish Dietary Fiber
Festive meals typically lack vegetables and fruits, potentially causing constipation. Fiber promotes bowel motility to eliminate food residues. Recommended options include potassium-rich foods like cucumbers, bananas, potatoes, seaweed, and spinach that facilitate sodium elimination.
Activate Digestive Motility
Engage in light activities (standing or walking) 20-30 minutes post-meal to alleviate discomfort.
For prolonged bloating, digestive aids like Jianwei Xiaoshi tablets may help. The next day, moderate strength training helps burn excess glycogen and calories.
To alleviate the body’s burden, some people restrict their diet or even fast after overeating—a counterproductive approach that may actually worsen gastrointestinal damage. Instead, simply maintain regular meals while reducing intake of high-calorie processed foods.
If severe symptoms such as violent vomiting, abdominal pain, fever, or diarrhea occur after overeating, these may signal serious conditions like gastric perforation, acute pancreatitis, or gastroenteritis, requiring immediate medical attention.
Source: Life Times
Original URL:https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/5SUljtYNECLlCkuHauL7dg