Bloating. What is it and what causes it?

BLOATING

Bloating is a symptom that can affect your day to day life. it can be a sign of something serious or a sign of something less serious but can affect your concentration, food choices, mood and confidence. Let’s discuss.

Why do you feel bloated?

Gas and air

Gas is the most common cause of bloating, especially after eating. Gas builds up in the digestive tract when undigested food gets broken down or when you swallow air. Everyone swallows air when they eat or drink. But some people can swallow more than others, especially if they are:

  • eating or drinking too fast

  • chewing gum

  • smoking

  • wearing loose dentures

Burping and flatulence are two ways swallowed air leaves the body. Delayed emptying of the stomach (slow gas transport) in addition to gas accumulation can also cause bloating and abdominal distension.

What is bloating?

Air or gas in the abdomen.

Other causes of bloating may be due to medical conditions. These include:

  • irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

  • inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease

  • other functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs)

  • heartburn

  • food intolerance

  • weight gain

  • hormonal flux (especially for women)

  • giardiasis (intestinal parasite infection)

  • eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa

  • mental health factors such as stress, anxiety, depression, and more

  • some medications

These conditions cause factors that contribute to gas and bloating, such as:

  • overgrowth or deficiency of bacteria within the GI tract

  • gas accumulation

  • altered gut motility

  • impaired gas transit

  • abnormal abdominal reflexes

  • visceral hypersensitivity (feeling of bloating in small or even normal body changes)

  • food and carbohydrate malabsorption

  • constipation

Serious causes

Abdominal bloating can also be a symptom of several serious conditions, including:

  • pathologic fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity (ascites) as a result of cancer (e.g., ovation cancer), liver disease, kidney failure, or congestive heart failure

  • celiac disease, or gluten intolerance

  • pancreatic insufficiency, which is impaired digestion because the pancreas cannot produce enough digestive enzymes

  • perforation of the GI tract with escape of gas, normal GI tract bacteria, and other contents into the abdominal cavity

Lifestyle changes

In many cases, the symptoms of abdominal bloating can be diminished or even prevented by adopting a few simple lifestyle changes such as eating less refined products including sugar and losing weight, if you’re overweight.

Glenna Calder