What is bloating

Bloated stomach-About Stomach Bloating

What is ‘stomach bloating?’

Often you will find that once you have enjoyed your Christmas dinner or a full Sunday roast dinner, your jeans feel a bit tighter than they were before you began your meal. This is not because you have gained weight in less than half an hour, it is because your stomach has become bloated or distended.

Bloating is a general term used for ‘disambiguation,’ which means an abnormal swelling or increase in size around your middle or abdomen. Along with the swelling you may experience the feeling of being very full, your skin feels tight and you may experience stomach growling, or in some cases, the lack of it.

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What causes bloated stomach?

It is not always food however that causes your abdomen to distend; you may find that you have swallowed air while chewing gum, or although uncommon, it is important to note that sometimes bloating can be caused by tumours and ascites.

Causes of bloated stomach:

• Eating fatty foods. Fat delays stomach emptying and can increase the sensation of fullness
• Stress or anxiety
• Smoking
• A gastrointestinal infection, blockage or disease
• Irritable bowel syndrome, a condition characterized by abdominal pain or cramping and changes in bowel function
• Conditions such as celiac disease or lactose intolerance in which the intestines aren't able to digest and absorb certain components of food

Signs and symptoms of bloated stomach: The following the common signs and symptoms associated with stomach bloating.

• stomach distention
• feeling gassy
• excessive belching
• fullness and tightness in abdomen
• abdominal pain
• change in gut size
• food sensitivity
• indigestion
• sensation that resembles over eating
• general discomfort

Most bloated people experience at least two or more of these symptoms.

Pain can accompany stomach bloating which is normally around the abdomen area, but it can be experienced anywhere on the body; at times it has been mistaken for a heart attack when the pain has been felt in the upper left of the chest.

Belching and Flatulence

It is often an occurrence when suffering with abdominal bloating, that ‘belching’ may occur; this is completely normal. ‘Belching’ is defined as gas being trapped in your digestive tract; there are only two ways that this can happen:

1.       You have swallowed air which has become trapped,

2.       Bacterial build up which has caused gas to develop.

‘Belching’ is commonly referred to as ‘burping’ but is sometimes also referred to as eructation – a release of gas from your digressional tract via the mouth.

Flatus is the wind which is released from your anus; it is generated within the stomach or the bowel. It is relatively normal for humans to release flatus; the regularity of it differs from person to person however.

Foods that cause bloating

In case you notice that your stomach getting bloated with gas whenever you take a particular food, this can be because you are allergic to that particular food or you might have that food intolerance. Consult with a professional if this is actually the case so you could have proper diagnosis.

The quantity of gas caused by different foods varies from individual to individual. Try to avoid or reduce the intake of gas generating foods to get yourself free from stomach bloating. Types of gas producing foods are listed here:

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• Peas, lentils, and beans of all kinds.
• Vegetables, such as artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, green peppers, onions, peas, radishes, and raw potatoes.
• Fruits, such as apricots, bananas, melons, peaches, pears, prunes, peaches and raw apples.
• Wheat and wheat bran.
• Eggs.
• Carbonated drinks, fruit drinks, beer, and red wine.
• Fried and fatty foods.
• Sugar and sugar substitutes.
• Milk and other dairy products in people who have trouble digesting lactose, the main sugar found in milk.
• Packaged foods that contain lactose, such as breads, cereal, and salad dressing.
• Hard candy
• Chewing gums

Excess gas, burping, or bloating after drinking or eating may also be caused by:

• In ability to break down certain sugars, for example lactose, fructose, or sorbitol. These particular sugars are often combined with processed food items and medicines in order to make them taste sweet. Lactose is also present in milk, curd, cheese, and other dairy products.
• In ability to absorb vitamins, minerals and nutrients adequately from the gut (Referred to as malabsorption syndrome). Causes of malabsorption syndrome are:
• Absence or lower levels of certain gut enzymes.
• Disorders of the pancreas, such as cystic fibrosis and pancreatic insufficiency.
• Parasitic Diseases such as giardiasis, amebiasis and other intestinal worms
• Changes in normal intestinal flora (bacteria normally found in the gut)
• Diseases that affect the intestine itself, such as celiac disease and chron’s disease
• Surgery that reduces or alters length of the gut like dissection surgeries
• Human immunodeficiency virus  infection (HIV).

Whole grains enriched with fiber also cause bloating and hence their intake should be minimized. Artificial sweeteners also need to be avoided because they alter the bowel movements and causes bloating. Foods which are abundant with fats are difficult to digest and prolonged digestion leads to stomach bloating.

Limit foods that may cause abdominal bloating, such as for example greasy, fried foods for instance. Take for example, fried breakfast alone may cause bloating, and when taken with baked beans another food source for bloating doubles your chances of getting bloated stomach.

You need to experiment and it might take a bit of trial and error to find out which foods are causing most trouble and what foods you are insensitive to. This is done better by keeping a diary of everything you ate daily, and your experiences with those food items.

Foods that prevent bloating

Foods that prevent bloating:

The foods that provide relief to stomach bloating are the ones that are enriched with potassium. Included in these are cantaloupe, bananas, tomatoes and spinach because they control your body's fluid levels. It is also advisable to take probiotics within yogurt which load the body’s digestive tract with good bacteria and relieve stomach discomfort and bloating.

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Fruits:

An interesting group of fruits is papayas, kiwis and pineapples. This group is especially abundant with enzymes which help in better digestion. Pineapple, for example is abundant with bromelin which reduces protein and which eradicates parasites and micro-organisms which are bad for our guts. Removing these parasites and micro-organisms helps purify the digestive tract. In addition, it helps removing bacteria which cause putrefaction in the intestines. It also aids in prevention and reduction of abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Papaya fruits: Papayas are abundant with something called papain. Papain performs similar functions to trypsin which does occur in pancreatic juices and pepsin which does occur in the gastric juices. Like these enzymes, papain helps the breakdown of proteins.

Proteolytics:

 another significant group is recognized as proteolytics which includes pineapples (bromeline), kiwis (actidin) and figs (ficin). These enzymes also aid in protein processing and improved digestion leading to gastritis reduction and excess gas prevention in the stomach.

Yogurt as a remedy:

As stated earlier, putrefaction is among the main factors behind flatulence and bloating. Eating yogurt helps increase good bacteria in the intestines which neutralizes bacteria which have the effect of putrefaction. Regular usage of yogurt will certainly reduce your flatulence. If you're unable or unwilling to consume yogurt, it is possible to take acidophilus by means of a tablet. This can also ease flatulence and lessen the smell and discomfort.

Herbal remedies:

In case you're looking for some herbal cures, then ginger tea and peppermint tea will be the best options to go with. They have the essential requisites to remove the sensation of discomfort you experience when you have bloated stomach. Herbs can be quite beneficial since they minimize the excess gas in the stomach, sooth intestinal inflammation and prevent the production of excess flatulence in the stomach.

Whatever you eat, do it slowly and steadily.  When you take large bolus of food and chew it fast, you tend to gulp or inhale more air into the stomach thus resulting in bloating stomach.

What causes bloating?

When you experience stomach bloating, you need to first know what is causing it. Remember, "Get to the reason to get the cure.” Bloating may be due to a number of things like over eating, gas in stomach, food allergies and food intolerance along with other digestive tract related conditions. Once you've identified the reason, focus should be on the solutions to get rid of bloating.

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What causes stomach bloating stomach?

There are lots of causes besides food that may cause bloating. All possible causes of bloating are listed here:

• Dietary causes:

1.     Oligosaccharide rich foods such as beans and lentils which contain indigestible sugars. They are usually broken down by gut bacteria.

2.      Fruits and vegetables: Brussel sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, prunes, apricots are some   of the fruits and vegetable that cause abdominal bloating.

3.   Consumption of dairy Products like milk, curd, and cheese is a major risk factor , especially in people suffering with lactose intolerant,

4.  Whole grains, even though are recommended for their health benefits can cause stomach bloating.

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): IBS usually affects large intestine and the common symptoms associated with IBS are bloating, abdominal cramps, stomach pain and diarrhea.

• Constipation: Constipation is an important cause for bloating. Constipation is having significantly less than 3 bowel motions weekly which may be painful or difficult because of hard and dry stool.

•  Lactose intolerance and gluten sensitivity: consuming foods rich in gluten or lactose may also lead to bloated stomach. Gluten rich foods such as barley, rye and wheat are to be avoided in gluten sensitivity.

• Inflammatory bowel diseases: Chron’s disease and ulcerative colitis

• Over-eating: Taking excessive amount of food in a single sitting could also cause bloating.

• Acid reflux and Gastric distension

• Aerophagia: Aerophagia gulping air into the stomach. It is normally is associated with nervous disorder, but could also be due to nicotine gum eating or fast drinking.

• Menstruation: Menstruating women are at greater risk of getting bloating compared to non-menstruating women

• Gynecological conditions: Dysmenorrhea and Poly cystic ovaries syndrome,

• Intestinal parasites

• Diverticulitis

• Stress: Stress is also regarded as an indirect cause for stomach bloating. If you are stressed, your body releases chemicals that could possibly produce an imbalance therefore cause the bloating to occur.

Risk factors for stomach bloating:

Though it may not seem obvious, there are a few foods and drinks we take every day that may make you unknowingly gulp air causing your stomach to bloat. These are listed below:

•  Chewing gum makes you gulp air when you chew,

•  Drinking fizzy drinks with a straw make you swallow small amounts of air,

• Rushing or gulping a carbonated drink such as coke can cause bloating

• Sucking a hard candy like a lollipop is also a risk factor for bloating

Also gulping puffs of air without the food could cause bloating(aerophagia or air eating)