Uhm Jung Hwa discusses stomach pain after diet

Singer Uhm Jung Hwa said she had reduced how much she ate for a diet, then ate marinated crab and felt stomach pain the next day. She made the remark while appearing on singer Jung Jae Hyung's YouTube channel on the 5th.

When a person reduces food intake and then suddenly eats a large amount, the stomach must handle many foods at once and can expand quickly. That can cause bloating, stomach pain or a heavy feeling, while foods high in fat can remain in the stomach longer and make indigestion easier to occur.

Excessive dieting can also be related to abdominal pain. Reduced food intake and long periods of fasting can make bile more concentrated, block bile release or leave bile in the gallbladder, making gallstones easier to form.

If those gallstones block the cystic duct and cause inflammation, the condition can progress to acute cholecystitis. A study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition analyzed the effects of giving 179 patients with obesity a very-low-calorie diet of 605kcal a day.

The study found that 11% of participants developed gallstones either during the diet or within half a year after completing it. The researchers analyzed that weight loss caused by the very-low-calorie diet had a significant effect on increased gallstone formation.

After dieting, starting with small amounts slowly is recommended rather than eating a lot at once. Chewing thoroughly and beginning with foods that place less burden on the stomach can help reduce indigestion.

Regular meals are better than excessive food restriction or fasting. Regular eating helps the gallbladder contract and relax normally to release bile, lowering the risk of gallstones.

If pain lasts for more than a day, or if pain in the upper right abdomen, fever, chills or repeated vomiting appears, a medical institution should be visited for an accurate diagnosis.