A hernia is a potentially serious condition where a bodily organ pokes outside of the tissue or muscles meant to hold it in place. Since hernias can be fatal if ignored, it makes sense that many people want to know what they should be eating to either prevent hernias or take care of existing ones.
Dr. Gregory Dumanian breaks down the important details on diet and hernia:
Can Your Diet Cause a Hernia?
Most often, hernias are the result of muscle strain triggered by factors including prior surgeries that entered through the abdominal wall, weaknesses of the abdominal wall from birth, stretching of the abdominal wall from pregnancy, excessive coughing, constipation and obesity. While diet does not specifically cause hernias, excess food intake and obesity causes increased rates of hernia formation from the above causes, and makes their repair much more difficult.
Diet Can Definitely Alleviate Hernia Discomfort
Though diet is not the direct cause of hernias, this does not mean you should ignore what you eat. In fact, your diet can go a long way toward minimizing the pain of an existing hernia. That is particularly true with rectus diastasis, or a separation between the “six-pack” muscles on the front of the abdomen and on either side of the umbilicus. Weight gain can cause a painful stretching of the front of the abdomen, and lead to umbilical and epigastric hernias.
Smart Eating to Avoid Hernias
There are also some general dietary tips to avoid all types of hernias:
- Hydrate: Drinking plenty of water not only keeps your entire body healthy, it also helps to prevent constipation that can bring about a hernia in weakened areas of the abdominal wall.
- Add fiber: Again, knowing that constipation causes hernias, it is smart to make sure you are producing regular bowel movements with a fiber-rich diet.
- Eat well in general: Since obesity can lead to a hernia, keeping your weight in check with a healthy diet should lower your risks.
Schedule a Consultation
While diet can help when it comes to dealing with a hernia, the truth is that it requires a more significant course of treatment. To learn more about what you can do to repair a hernia or prevent future hernias, call (312) 695-6022 to set up an appointment with Dr. Dumanian.