What happens if you eat eggshells? Answered by a gastroenterology doctor

gastroenterologist

“The shell is a rather coarse component, not intended for eating. But anyway, sometimes it gets into the body unintentionally, for example, if a boiled egg was poorly peeled or if a piece of it fell off when cooking scrambled eggs. Is it harmful to your health?”

What are the dangers?

Moving inside the body, eggshells can mechanically traumatize the mucous membrane, which will lead to its damage. It is worth considering that such a problem can become significant, especially if gastrointestinal (GI) diseases are already present. Thinning and inflamed mucosa is more vulnerable to any external aggression than a healthy one.

Swallowing shells can cause mechanical trauma to the mucous membrane, and we are talking about the upper parts – the stomach and esophagus. The degree of damage depends very much on how much it was chewed (crushed) in the oral cavity.

Traumatization can be accompanied by pain, which reflexively causes spasm and impaired motility of the organ. Symptoms such as stomach and esophageal pain that worsens after eating and when swallowing food may occur. Motility disorders can cause a feeling of heaviness in the stomach, belching and some other manifestations.

Is bleeding possible?

To unequivocally answer this question, it is worth saying at once that it depends on a set of factors – whether the patient does not have a decrease in the level of platelets, what is the current state of the mucosa, whether he takes blood thinners, what chronic diseases he has and much more.

As a rule, mucosa without thinning (no atrophy) is more resistant to aggressive external influences. The use of any blood thinning drugs significantly increases the risks of bleeding, even if small, but bleeding. The age of the person can also matter – the elderly are more likely to have problems than people of working age.

Risks of food poisoning – are there any?

It’s no secret that eating chicken eggs from a sick chicken can provoke salmonellosis. Are eggshells dangerous? No more so than the egg itself! Of course, almost all poultry farms use preventive measures against this disease, although purely theoretically infection is possible. But thermal treatment of the product before consumption reduces the risks to zero. Therefore, the shell is not dangerous from the point of view of transmission of dangerous bacteria.

Are there any advantages?

Some people can use quite unusual methods ostensibly to improve health. Sometimes you can hear such an opinion that the calcium contained in the shell is useful for the body. Of course, you should not take such information seriously, because it is not suitable for human consumption.

Eggshells are a fairly common component of food that gets inside us without us wanting it. In most cases, it does not carry a significant danger, but only requires compliance with the above recommendations.

What to do?

If it has already happened, then you need to urgently think about preventive measures. At least for a week it is worth completely refusing too hot or cold food. The temperature of dishes should be in the range of about 40-60 °.

The alternation of hot and cold is also not welcome. Given the risks of traumatizing the mucous membrane, it is important to chew food as thoroughly as possible, refuse fried, fatty, spicy, smoked, highly salted and fast food.

As a basis should take meat, fish or poultry of lean varieties. For example, lean beef, veal, rabbit, chicken, turkey, pollock and so on. From refractory fats should be abandoned (mutton, pork, goose, duck and so on).

As a side dish you can use mashed potatoes, cereals and stewed vegetables. It is very important that the food is mechanically well processed, which means that you need to chew very carefully, so the aggression on the mucosa will be reduced.

Is it necessary to take medication?

It is worth focusing on the data of gastroscopy, but it is not always possible to conduct it. To improve the condition of the mucous membrane, may prescribe drugs from the group of rebagit on the basis of rebamipide – they increase the secretion of their own defense factors – bicarbonates, prostaglandins, improve microcirculation and mucus secretion. The duration of treatment is usually from two to four weeks.

Self-administered medications should not be prescribed. Always consult your doctor.

It is also possible to prescribe drugs from the group of enzymes in order to relieve the load of the GI organs, facilitating digestion. The dose usually depends on the volume of food.

If a person periodically has such symptoms as heartburn, belching, then, most likely, he has such a disease as GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). Existing refluxes (backflows) will be very interfering with the healing of the esophageal mucosa.

Here it is important to consult a doctor-gastroenterologist. The specialist will prescribe drugs that reduce the number of refluxes, increase the tone of the necessary sphincters, minimizing backflows. The course of treatment is usually one to two months.

Eggshells are a fairly common ingredient in food, ingested without our desire. In most cases does not carry a significant danger, and requires only compliance with the above recommendations.