Eating a very excessive amount of food can cause the stomach to rupture. But these cases are very rare and often linked to other pathologies.
- Our stomach can rupture if we eat too much.
- But these cases are very rare: they concern people who no longer have the gag reflex.
- Concretely, their stomach can crack and thus food and bacteria can pass through and cause infections.
The end of year celebrations are above all an opportunity to have family and festive meals! On average, the French consume between 3,000 and 4,000 calories during the Christmas meal. Concretely, this gives the impression that we can no longer swallow anything and that our stomach is going to explode. But what are the real consequences of such excesses on the stomach?
Excess: what is the maximum amount of food contained in our stomach?
According to Mary Roach, author of a popular book on the digestive system, it is almost impossible for our stomach to explode from too much food ingested. “The average stomach typically holds about 1 liter, or four cups, of food, she explains to Business Insider. Your stomach has a greater limit before it tries to push that food back up. The stomach can hold about a gallon, or almost 4 liters, of food before you vomit as a gag reflex.“Thus, for the majority of the population, excess food will be evacuated through vomiting, without any other consequences on the body.
Excessive eating: a very rare stomach rupture
But other people manage to ignore this body reflex and continue to eat. There, there may be a rupture of the stomach, according to her. “It’s possible, but it’s very, very rare.”adds Dr Rachel Vreeman, professor of pediatrics, in an article from NBC News. “They have atypical eating habits, so much so that their body no longer reacts as it normally should“, continues the specialist. “Their body’s reflexes have been ignored or abused for so long that they no longer vomit at the appropriate time. And then, once the stomach reaches this extremely distended point, the stomach muscles are too tense to be strong enough to vomit up the food.”
Rupture of the stomach: who are the people at risk?
A few cases have been described in the scientific literature: typically, people had more than five liters of food and liquid in their stomach. In 2003, a man died after his stomach split after eating too much. According to the doctor, there are people at greater risk, particularly those suffering from eating disorders such as bulimia. Prader-Willi syndrome is also one of the risk factors. This congenital disease is particularly associated with satiety disorders. A study carried out in 2007 on 152 people who died from the disease revealed that 3% of deaths were linked to a rupture of the stomach.
What is gastrointestinal rupture?
In this case, the walls of the stomach stretch until a crack forms. “Food, digestive juices, bacteria or waste (stool, or feces) may leak through the hole in the intestinewarns Canadian Cancer Society. This can lead to a buildup of pus (abscess). When the contents of the intestine leak into the peritoneal cavity, it may cause an infection (peritonitis).“This can contaminate the blood and lead to a general infection. Emergency surgery is necessary to repair the intestinal wall and prevent infection.”Even if you’re starting to feel a little sick or tired from eating so much, you’re still far, far away from the scenario where you’ll actually cause your stomach to explode“, reassures Rachel Vreeman.