Ask a doctor - Why does not eating cause diarrhea?

Q. Why does not eating cause diarrhea?

Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.

Answered by Secondmedic Expert

Diarrhea is a common symptom of not eating enough food, or not eating the right foods. When we don't eat, our digestive system slows down and does not receive the necessary nutrients to properly digest food. This causes the movement of fecal matter through the intestines more quickly than usual, resulting in loose stools or diarrhea.

Not eating can also disturb the balance of electrolytes in your body; this imbalance can cause watery stools which may be classified as diarrhea. Electrolytes are charged particles that are essential for proper organ function; they help control fluid balance, pH levels , and other chemical reactions inside your cells. When you don’t eat enough or when you consume too much processed foods with added sugars, salts, and preservatives—all of which contain electrolytes—your body becomes depleted and unable to regulate fluids correctly. As a result, it pulls extra water into the intestines resulting in diarrhea-like symptoms.

Finally, going too long without food can increase inflammation throughout your body due to an immune response caused by lack of nutrients; this inflammation could trigger an episode of diarrhea as well .

It’s important to make sure that you do eat regularly if possible , so that your digestive system is able to work correctly . Eating small meals throughout the day rather than infrequent large meals can help keep your digestion on track and reduce any risk for developing diarrheal episodes from fasting .