Doctor shares what it means if you always need to poo immediately after you eat

A doctor has explained why some people may feel the need to immediately head to the loo for a poo after eating, and it's not as concerning as you may think.

Going to the toilet can be a worry, especially if we feel there's something out of the ordinary with out habits. Be it how often we head for a number two and what a 'normal' one should actually look like.

Some may even be concerned that they regularly need to excuse themselves from the dinner table, even if a meal has only just been finished. However, it's not typically a sign that something is wrong with your gut at all, but instead a perfectly natural instinct.

Dr. Joseph Salhab shared on TikTok that needing to go to the loo instantly after eating doesn't necessarily mean you have something wrong, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but that it could simply be to do with your brain functions.

He noted that 'it’s not because food is moving instantly throughout your GI tract', as many of us would first assume.

Instead, he claims that the process involves signals to your brain.

In the video, he states: "When you eat and you feel like you have to use the restroom right after, this is something called the gastrocolic reflex."

And his theory is backed up by the NHS, which says: "It is a physiological reflex that occurs in response to stretching of the stomach after eating a meal and the arrival of by-products of digestion in the small intestine.”

According to the expert, within about 20-30 minutes of eating, the stretching of your stomach sends your brain a signal that you’re full of food.

And this is where we have to make some room somehow...

As expected, the doctor suggested that 'your colon begins to contract to make more room for the food', hence why your brain might be telling you to nip to the loo.

And apparently, it's a stronger reflex just after breakfast in the morning.

Whilst going to the toilet straight after eating usually doesn't indicate any internal problems, Dr. Salhab said that people with IBS are more sensitive to the reflex.

This is why alongside feeling the urge, some people might also experience abdominal cramping, and may even suffer from diarrhoea.

He revealed that for those with IBS, 'the contractions of the colon can be very powerful'.

Despite each case presenting different causes, the doctor warned that there are a few things that can worsen symptoms for everyone.

These include - fizzy drinks, sugary drinks, booze, dairy, fried foods, and even some citrus fruit.