November is National Diabetes Month, and while many people use this time to focus on blood sugar management strategies, our team at Las Vegas Gastroenterology want to look at a less often discussed topic: gastrointestinal (GI) issues associated with diabetes.
Take a moment as Noel R. Fajardo, MD, and Filippo Cremonini, MD, highlight the four common GI issues associated with diabetes and how we can help you manage them in our GI motility clinic.
You have over 500 nerves in your enteric nervous system, or more simply, the nervous system inside of your digestive system. It’s the most complex nervous system in your body outside of your brain. (This helps explain the saying that your stomach is your “second brain.”)
When your blood sugar levels stay high for too long, it can damage nerves in your body, and that includes the nerves that control your digestion. When your nerves are damaged from diabetes, it’s called diabetic neuropathy.
Your nerves help your stomach and intestines move food smoothly through your system. If they’re not working properly, digestion can slow down or speed up unpredictably and lead to uncomfortable GI symptoms.
If you have diabetes, you’re more likely to experience:
This condition happens when your stomach takes too long to empty food into your small intestine. You might feel full quickly and experience nausea, vomiting, or bloating. You might also notice unpredictable blood sugar spikes after eating.
Nerve damage can affect how quickly food moves through your intestines. Some people experience constipation due to slowed movement, while others may have diarrhea or alternating symptoms of both.
High blood sugar levels can weaken the muscles that keep stomach acid where it belongs. This leads to heartburn, chest discomfort, or a sour taste in your mouth after meals.
Diabetes can increase your risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, in which fat builds up in the liver and causes inflammation. Recent research shows that over 70% of Americans with Type 2 diabetes also have fatty liver disease.
This can lead to more serious liver problems if not managed.
You can take steps to manage digestive symptoms and protect your GI health at the same time by:
While the occasional GI issue is not uncommon, if your symptoms persist, Dr. Fajardo and Dr. Cremonini may recommend tests or treatments to restore digestive function.
If you’re living with diabetes and notice symptoms like constipation, bloating, or feeling full too quickly, our team may recommend a GI motility test. This test measures how well food moves through your digestive tract. It tells us whether nerve damage or muscle issues are slowing things down.
On the other hand, if you’re struggling with acid reflux or heartburn, we may suggest an upper endoscopy to get a closer look at your esophagus and stomach. This helps us identify inflammation or other changes caused by acid exposure.
Depending on your results and symptoms, we may recommend medications to improve digestion or manage reflux, dietary adjustments, or targeted treatments to restore normal GI function and help you feel your best.
This National Diabetes Month, put your GI health first. To schedule an appointment in either of our two Las Vegas, Nevada, offices, call or click to get started.
