May 07 2009
Could Nerve Damage Be Affecting Your Digestion?
A potential complication of diabetes is nerve damage, which can affect several areas of your body, including your digestive system. When this happens, a condition known as gastroparesis can set in, making blood sugar levels even more difficult to control. Gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a disorder in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents. Normally, the stomach contracts to move food down into the small intestine for digestion.
Nerves control the movement of food from the stomach through the digestive tract. Gastroparesis occurs when the nerves in the stomach are damaged and the muscles of the stomach and intestines do not work normally. food then moves slowly or stops moving through the digestive tract. In addition to the discomfort, it can also cause bacterial overgrowth from the fermentation of food. Also, the food can harden into solid masses called bezoars can be dangerous if they block the passage of food into the small intestine. Diabetes is a cause of gastroparesis, but gastroparesis also makes diabetes worse by making blood glucose control more difficult. When food that has been delayed in the stomach finally enters the small intestine and is absorbed, blood glucose level rise. Since gastroparesis makes stomach emptying unpredictable, a person’s blood glucose levels can be erratic and difficult to control.
