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With more and more people eating out these
days, food poisoning has also become more of a norm. What exactly causes
food poisoning?
Bad Food
Food poisoning is a food-borne disease
which can be caused by chemicals, heavy metals, parasites, fungi,
viruses and bacteria. The most common cause is that of bacterial
infection, with the main culprits being bacteria such as Staphylococcus
aureus, Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter, Listeria
monocytogenes, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Bacillus cereus, and Entero-pathogenic
Escherichia coli.
These bacteria is usually found in raw
foods and normally would not cause harm unless present in large numbers.
When there is poor personal hygiene of food handles, improper cleaning
of storage and preparation areas and unclean utensils, there will be
higher chances of food contamination which may lead to food poisoning.
Food poisoning also happens when there
is mishandling of raw and cooked foods, as it allows bacteria to spread
and grow. Undercooked foods are one of the major causes of food
poisoning.
Bacteria Bulldozer
When someone gets a spat of food
poisoning, they will normally go to a doctor where they will be
prescribed antibiotics. These antibiotics function by killing the
bacteria that has caused the diarrhea, thus 'curring' the symptoms.
However, antibiotics act as bulldozers,
killing all the bacteria in the gut regardless of good or bad. In the
process of getting rid of the bad bugs that cause the food poisoning,
antibiotics also wipe out everything in their path. This essentially
means that all the good bacteria that exist naturally in the gut will
also be killed.
When this happens, there will be
imbalance in the gut flora. Research has shown that an imbalance in the
gut flora becomes an ideal breeding ground for bad bacteria to flourish,
particularly those that are antibiotic-resistant. Examples of this are
the clostridium bacterium, a tough bug that is believed to be associated
with diarrhea.
Clostridium has been found to be linked
to excessive use of antibiotics and has been known to be the cause of
persistent diarrhea in people with low immunes. Some studies also link
clostridium to childhood autism.
Damming the colon
In other cases, people suffering from
food poisoning tend to take herbal remedies that also stop the symptoms
immediately. Although it may seen as if the patient has been healed
because the diarrhea and vomiting has stopped, this actually harms the
body as it means that all the bad bacteria are kept in the body as well!
What results is a longer period of
recuperation, where there will be more bloating and stomach discomfort.
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