Stress

Stress can cause many physical problems such as insomnia, headaches, high blood pressure and stomach disorders. Depression has been linked to irritable bowel syndrome. Or the pain caused by stress in your tummy can bring on a bout of depression. Experts don’t know which comes first – the chicken or the egg.

"Stress can affect many gut functions, and we know that patients who are under a lot of psychological stress suffer from more severe reflux symptoms—without necessarily having more severe reflux," says Mitchell Cappell, MD, PhD, the chief of gastroenterology at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. "We live in stressful times and heartburn is incredibly common," he says.

The stomach and intestines have more nerve cells than the spinal cord. There are direct links between the brain and gut and, dig this, 95 percent of serotonin, a mood hormone, is found in the digestive system, not the brain as previously thought.

Also, stress interferes with digestion because of the body’s instinctual “fight or flight” response. In times of high stress, the body prepares for emergencies by diverting blood flow from unimportant tasks like digestion. The adrenal gland starts pumping out adrenaline and steroids, chemicals that help in the “fight or flight” response. This explains why many people cannot eat when under stress.

Lactose Intolerance

Lactose intolerance is a common ailment in many populations of the world. It is found most often in people of Asian, African, South American and Native American descent. Their bodies cannot digest lactose, a natural sugar found in milk and dairy products. Some lactose-intolerant people can eat small amounts of dairy products with few problems. Then there are others who must completely avoid these products.

This disorder typically flares up in adolescence or adulthood. It can become a major health issue if the sufferer doesn’t get enough calcium or vitamin D. As we know, lack of calcium in the diet could lead to osteoporosis, or thin bones subject to easy breaks or fractures.