Doctor explained what it might mean if you always need a poo after eating

A doctor has explained what it might mean if you always need to go to the toilet immediately after eating.

As Scrubs has taught us, everything comes down to our poo, because while it might sound unpleasant, we can actually tell a lot about our own bodies by what our number twos look like.

Certain shapes and colours that you spot in your toilet might mean that a trip to the GP is necessary, especially considering the rapid rise in cases of colorectal cancer in recent years, with the disease one of the most common among young adults.

But, if you're worried about your need to go to the toilet straight after eating, then it might be something to do with your brain rather than your stomach, as one doctor suggests.

What have the doctors said about pooing straight after eating?

Naturally, there are some foods and drinks which might upset the stomach more than others, and if you need a quick visit to the loo after knocking back six pints with a spicy curry at your local restaurant, then there's probably no underlying health condition you need to worry about.

Dr. Joseph Salhab spoke on TikTok about a brain function which can often be completely normal, despite the alarm it might well cause.

He noted that the strong desire to go to the loo, most notably after our morning breakfast, is '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."

Does the NHS back up the doctor's theory?

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 naturally we will then need to make some room before we sit down for lunch or our 11 o'clock snack.

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.

Of course, if you're having a coffee with your breakfast, then it's perhaps even more likely that you're going to need a little trip to the bathroom shortly after you finish your bowl of coco pops.

Is there anything you need to look out for?

But it's important to note that as long as your poo looks and feels healthy, and you're not spending too much time on the loo, then there's probably nothing to worry about in this case.

If you are worried about things not running too smoothly down there, then it's always worth speaking to a doctor.