What can I eat to promote gastrointestinal motility?

Generally speaking, eating foods such as oatmeal, celery, yogurt, apples, and bananas can promote gastrointestinal motility. Medications such as Domperidone Tablets, Mosapride Citrate Tablets, Bifidobacterium Triple Live Capsules, Bacillus Licheniformis Capsules, and Jianwei Xiaoshi Tablets can also enhance gastrointestinal motility. Details are as follows:

I. Foods

1. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is rich in dietary fiber, especially beta-glucan, a type of soluble fiber that increases stool volume, promotes intestinal peristalsis, and aids defecation. Additionally, it forms a viscous substance in the intestines that helps adsorb harmful substances and facilitates their elimination from the body.

2. Celery

Celery is a high-fiber food containing large amounts of plant fiber. These fibers stimulate intestinal peristalsis, enhance intestinal contraction, help move food through the intestines, reduce food retention time in the gut, and thus help prevent constipation and promote gastrointestinal motility.

3. Yogurt

Yogurt contains abundant probiotics such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus acidophilus. These beneficial bacteria help regulate the balance of intestinal flora, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, promote the proliferation of beneficial bacteria, thereby enhancing digestive and peristaltic functions of the intestine.

4. Apples

Apples contain pectin, which absorbs water in the intestines, expands to increase stool volume, stimulates intestinal peristalsis, and promotes defecation. In addition, the cellulose in apples also promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, helping maintain intestinal microecological balance and promoting gastrointestinal motility.

5. Bananas

Bananas are rich in dietary fiber and pectin. The dietary fiber in ripe bananas increases the volume of intestinal contents, promotes intestinal peristalsis, and aids defecation. Additionally, bananas contain a certain amount of potassium, which helps maintain normal muscle contraction functions, including those of the intestinal smooth muscles, thereby indirectly promoting gastrointestinal motility.

II. Medications

1. Domperidone Tablets

Domperidone Tablets belong to dopamine receptor antagonists. They increase gastrointestinal motility and tone, promote gastric emptying, enhance antral and duodenal motility, coordinate pyloric contraction, and also enhance esophageal peristalsis and the tone of the lower esophageal sphincter, thus inhibiting nausea and vomiting.

2. Mosapride Citrate Tablets

Mosapride Citrate Tablets are selective serotonin 4 (5-HT4) receptor agonists that promote the release of acetylcholine, thereby enhancing gastrointestinal motility and improving gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with functional dyspepsia.

3. Bifidobacterium Triple Live Capsules

Bifidobacterium Triple Live Capsules contain bacteria such as Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Enterococcus faecalis. These help regulate the balance of intestinal flora, inhibit and eliminate pathogenic bacteria, reduce toxin production, aid digestion of nutrients, and help promote intestinal peristalsis.

4. Bacillus Licheniformis Capsules

Bacillus Licheniformis Capsules have antagonistic effects against pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus and yeast. They help correct microbial imbalances for therapeutic purposes, produce antibacterial substances that kill pathogenic bacteria, promote the growth of anaerobic bacteria, and thus enhance intestinal motility.

5. Jianwei Xiaoshi Tablets

Jianwei Xiaoshi Tablets mainly contain ingredients such as Pseudostellaria heterophylla, tangerine peel, Chinese yam, barley malt, and hawthorn. It is a commonly used medication for treating spleen dysfunction, loss of appetite, and indigestion. It has functions of strengthening the stomach, aiding digestion, and promoting gastrointestinal motility.

It is recommended that in daily life, one should consume these foods in moderation, maintain adequate water intake, avoid excessive alcohol consumption and spicy foods, to maintain gastrointestinal health. Also, medications should be used under the guidance of a physician.