It’s party season and plenty of customers will be paying the price for their overindulgence. Victoria Goldman shares top tips for avoiding and treating seasonal excesses

As the festive season approaches and the celebrations begin, it’s easy to let healthy eating and drinking habits slide. According to the British Nutrition Foundation, the average person in the UK will consume around 6,000 calories on Christmas Day alone (versus the recommended daily amount of 2,000 calories for women and 2,500 calories for men).

Bingeing on calorie-laden fatty foods and alcoholic drinks can take their toll on the digestive system. Common complaints include heartburn, indigestion, diarrhoea, wind and bloating. So which OTC products and advice should pharmacists be recommending to customers to help them get through the festive season without suffering any ill-effects?

Protect the digestive system

Enterosgel (a clinically proven toxin-binding gel that cleanses the gut) premiered at the Pharmacy Show in October. Based on organic silica, Enterosgel works like a sponge to help remove toxins from the body without affecting the absorption of vital vitamins or nutrients.

Enterosgel is registered as a class IIa medical device, certified in Europe in 2008. It should be mixed with water, milk or fruit juice and drunk an hour before food or alcohol.
“Following overindulgence in both food and drink during the festive period, customers often turn to traditional remedies for relief,” says pharmacist independent prescriber Derek Evans.

“Enterosgel is a unique formulation of adsorbent with a new twist. It protects the gut lining by coating the gut mucosa and also absorbs the toxins produced after overindulgence. This in turn will help reduce the symptoms often presented at the pharmacy counter of bloating, indigestion, reflux, nausea and diarrhoea. Enterosgel has been shown to have a safety profile in pregnant women, children under one year and those taking concomitant medication.”

Boost gut bacteria

Bloating, diarrhoea and constipation can strike if there are too many ‘gas-producing’ bacteria in the gut. “The intestines play host to a community of micro-organisms that help to ensure normal digestive function, including gut motility, enzyme production and absorption,” says Susanna Regan, clinical nutrition advisor at Biocare. “Introducing beneficial bacteria by using a high-potency probiotic, such as Biocare’s BioAcidophilus Forte (containing clinically effective strains that are proven to survive stomach acid), can be an invaluable tool in restoring digestive balance.”

Bimuno surveys reveal that more than 80 per cent of people don’t know the difference between probiotics and prebiotic supplements. Prebiotics, such as Bimuno, are a form of complex carbohydrate food for ‘good’ bacteria such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. Unlike probiotics, prebiotics travel through the digestive system intact, until they reach the colon where they are needed. Bimuno is a second generation prebiotic, which works by feeding and energising the immune-boosting bacteria in the colon while simultaneously reducing ‘bad’ bacteria.

Stock up on remedies

According to the digestive charity CORE, indigestion and heartburn are so common that many people regard them as a normal part of their lives. Irregular meals, a change in eating habits, and stress, can trigger the symptoms. According to Reckitt Benckiser, Gaviscon Double Action should be a top pharmacy recommendation for the festive season, as its powerful formula works in two ways to tackle the symptoms of both heartburn and indigestion.

A survey of 2,000 UK adults in April on behalf of Maalox Plus revealed that 68 per cent of the UK population says that a bloated stomach or trapped wind causes them to swell in size. For many sufferers, the unpleasant sensation is more than just an occasional inconvenience. Over half of adults are embarrassed by their condition and more than a third say it affects their confidence levels. However, less than a third of those suffering would visit their GP.

Maalox Plus has a triple action to ease heartburn, indigestion and bloating caused by trapped wind. Larger liquid bottle sizes are suitable for ongoing home use, while the chewable tablets are convenient for travelling and when out and about. Maalox recently launched a new 10-pack of tablets and updated its website.

Irritable bowel syndrome is one of the most common digestive disorders, with around a third of the population experiencing symptoms from time to time. Boehringer Ingelheim’s Buscopan IBS Relief is now available in a new 40-loyalty pack, as well as the original 20-pack. New practical resources and tools have been developed to help sufferers manage their IBS symptoms, including a new website – www.ibs- relief.co.uk – which offers IBS sufferers resources such as an IBS relief diary app, a case study video and a ‘crowd sourced’ booklet with lifestyle tips from other sufferers.

Limit fatty foods

According to Dr Anton Emmanuel, medical director of CORE, a high-fat diet can lead to acute diarrhoea. “The western diet tends to be high in fat, especially at Christmas time,” he says. “The gut can only absorb a certain amount of fat, so if the capacity is exceeded people are likely to develop fatty diarrhoea. Pharmacy customers should be advised to take a small amount of loperamide for short- term diarrhoea. But they should seek medical advice if their symptoms persist after their eating habits have returned to normal or if they experience red flag symptoms like weight loss or blood loss.”
Acute diarrhoea can also be caused by an infection or food poisoning. Loperamide can be used early on in the infection to stop the diarrhoea in its tracks. Pharmacists can recommend Imodium Instants for on-the-go relief and Imodium Plus Comfort tablets to ease acute diarrhoea accompanied by wind, cramps and bloating. Imodium Liquicaps soft capsules, which were launched in February, are the first and only capsules filled with a calming liquid to relieve diarrhoea. Consumer research identified that diarrhoea sufferers are looking for an effective treatment that works with their body, is easy to take and isn’t too harsh.

Indigestion and heartburn are so common that many people regard them as a normal part of their lives

Customers with diarrhoea may also benefit from using oral rehydration sachets such as Dioralyte Relief, to reduce the risk of dehydration, especially in babies, young children and the elderly. “It’s important to drink more than you think you need,” says Dr Emmanuel. “Drink 1.5 litres a day plus the equivalent of whatever has been lost in the stools. Over-the-counter rehydration therapy products are useful to keep at home.”

Count the units

In October this year, Public Health England reported that 24-hour drinking and higher levels of alcohol consumption are fuelling the dramatic increase in liver disease death rates. Over a decade, the number of people dying from liver disease in England has risen by 40 per cent, with alcohol being linked to a third of these deaths.

A recent survey by Bluecrest Health Screening revealed that signs of excess alcohol consumption appear to be going undetected by GPs, with 16 per cent of its patients showing abnormal liver function test results in the last year.

Bingeing on alcohol has many short-term effects, such as sleep problems, headaches and acid reflux. “As alcohol is made up of mainly sugars, this makes blood sugar levels rise dramatically when drinking,” says GP and media medic Dr Roger Henderson. “The body has to work harder to produce enough insulin to reduce its blood sugar levels back to a normal level but can produce too much, causing blood sugar levels to drop too low. This can lead to a sore head as well as an increased appetite the next day. An oral rehydration drink is good to take before bed to help raise blood sugar levels back to normal and help replace the lost fluids, salts and minerals that the alcohol removes from the body.”

Practice good hygiene

Diarrhoea and vomiting caused by food poisoning are a common health hazard at Christmas, as many people forget about good hygiene principles when they are enjoying the party atmosphere. Research by the Food Standards Agency in June revealed that poultry is the food linked to the most cases of food poisoning, with an estimated 244,000 cases every year. Campylobacter causes more cases of food poisoning than E coli, listeria and salmonella put together. An FSA online survey of 4,500 UK adults found that 44 per cent of consumers wash chicken before cooking. Yet the FSA warned that the splashing of water droplets spreads campylobacter bacteria easily onto hands, work surfaces, clothing and cooking equipment.