Early Satiety

What is early satiety?

Early satiety is the feeling that your stomach is full after eating just a small amount of food. You’re not able to complete a meal. You may feel full after eating only a few bites. This feeling can lead to nausea, and you may feel like you’re going to throw up (vomit).

Maybe you just picked up a stomach bug, or whatever you’re eating isn’t agreeing with your stomach. But persistent early satiety can be a symptom of a serious underlying medical condition, so it’s important to see a healthcare provider. If left untreated, it can lead to nutrient deficiencies, malnutrition and losing weight without trying (unintentional weight loss).

What are the most common causes of early satiety?

The most common cause of early satiety is a medical condition known as gastroparesis. Usually, your stomach contracts to crush food before it gets sent to your intestines. In gastroparesis, your stomach muscles don’t contract properly, so food builds up in your stomach, leading to a full feeling. In addition to early satiety, you may also experience other symptoms, like:

• Bloated stomach
• Nausea and vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Heartburn
• Loss of appetite

Other early satiety causes may include:

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): This is a condition in which stomach acid backs up into your esophagus. This can cause heartburn, chest pain and nausea, which can make it difficult to eat.
• Peptic ulcers: These are sores in the lining of your stomach or duodenum (the first part of your small intestine). Ulcers can cause pain, nausea and vomiting, making it hard to keep food down.
• Irritable bowel syndrome: This is a gastrointestinal disease that causes uncomfortable abdominal symptoms, like gas, bloating and diarrhea.
• Bowel obstruction: This is a blockage in your intestines that prevents food from moving through properly. This can cause pain, bloating and vomiting, which can make it hard to eat.
• Cancer: Cancer can cause early satiety in a number of ways. For example, a tumor can block the passage of food through your digestive system. Cancer and certain cancer treatments can also cause nausea and vomiting.
• Eating disorders: Eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa can also cause early satiety. This is because these disorders can damage your digestive system and make it difficult for your body to absorb nutrients.
• Nerve problems: Damage to the nerves controlling your stomach muscles can affect its function and lead to early satiety.
• Certain medications: Some medications, like opioids or pain relievers, can have a side effect of slowing stomach emptying.

How do you cure early satiety?

Treatment for early satiety depends on what caused it. Most likely, your provider will recommend changes to your eating plan. For instance:

• Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Instead of three large meals, aim for five to six smaller ones throughout the day. This reduces the amount of food your stomach needs to handle at once.
• Choose nutrient-dense foods. Focus on easily digestible foods rich in nutrients like lean proteins, complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, whole grains) and healthy fats. Foods like fresh vegetables and fruits are high in fiber and tend to stay in your stomach much longer, which can worsen symptoms. These foods can be made into a smoothie to make them easy to digest.
• Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of fluids throughout the day helps digestion and prevents dehydration, which can worsen early satiety.
• Avoid irritating foods. Avoid foods that irritate your stomach, like spicy, greasy, acidic foods or those that trigger heartburn.

Depending on the cause, your provider may suggest certain medications. For example, using GERD medication for heartburn or antibiotics for ulcers. In addition, they may recommend medications called prokinetics. These medications, like metoclopramide or domperidone, help stimulate stomach muscle contractions and improve food movement.

In more severe cases, your provider may recommend procedures like:

• Gastric electrical stimulation: This technique sends electric pulses to your stomach to control nausea and vomiting.
• Feeding tubes: These go through your nose and down to your stomach, providing liquid nutrition.
• Total parenteral nutrition: Your provider places a catheter inside a vein in your chest to carry liquid nutrition.
• Jejunostomy: A feeding tube bypasses your stomach to directly inject nutrients into a part of your small intestine called the jejunum.

What are the possible complications or risks of not treating early satiety?

Leaving early satiety untreated can lead to a number of possible complications, ranging from nutritional deficiencies to more serious health problems:

• Weight loss and underweight: Long-lasting (chronic) early satiety can make it difficult to maintain a healthy weight. In severe cases, it can lead to malnutrition.
• Malnutrition: When you can’t eat enough due to early satiety, your body misses out on essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients it needs to function properly. This can lead to fatigue, weakness, impaired immune function and problems with hair, skin and nails.
• Muscle loss: Without sufficient protein intake due to early satiety, your body may start breaking down muscle tissue for energy. This can lead to muscle weakness, fatigue and a decrease in overall strength.
• Electrolyte imbalances: Electrolytes are minerals in your body that help with various functions like muscle and nerve function. When you’re not eating enough due to early satiety, you can become deficient in electrolytes, leading to problems like fatigue, muscle cramps and irregular heartbeat.
• Worsening of underlying conditions: Early satiety can be a symptom of a more serious underlying condition. Leaving it untreated can allow that condition to worsen and potentially lead to further complications specific to that illness.

When should early satiety be treated by a healthcare provider?

You should make an appointment with a healthcare provider if you consistently feel full after eating small amounts of food, even if you don’t have any other symptoms. Early satiety could be a sign of an underlying health condition.