We’ve all been there before while in a public place or intimate setting: a sudden tightness or fullness in the stomach, wanting to do anything but that to make the discomfort go away.
Bloating is a feeling that often builds when the body simply needs to expel some air; but can sometimes also cause one’s belly to appear larger than usual or create stomach pain or soreness. It can also be the result of fluid retention or a more serious medical condition. “Bloating can indicate digestive troubles and other concerns,” says Barbara Olendzki, RD, MPH, LDN, associate professor of population & quantitative health sciences at UMass Chan Medical School.
What is bloating?
It’s a feeling of fullness or pressure in one’s belly and is a condition that affects almost everyone at one time or another. It’s sometimes accompanied by a visibly swollen abdomen, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s usually an issue in one’s digestive tract, though stress, hormones and body mass sometimes play a part as well.
More rarely, bloating can by a symptom of an underlying medical condition such as a bacterial infection, a bowel obstruction, an inflammatory disease such as Crohn’s disease that can damage parts of the small intestine, or motility disorders such as gastroparesis − partial paralysis of one’s stomach muscles or intestinal pseudo-obstruction − a condition that mimics the effects of an obstruction even when there isn’t one. Some cancers such as colon, stomach or ovarian can also produce symptoms of bloating.
Common and relatively harmless cases of bloating, however, can still sometimes cause discomfort and pain, though bloating is more frequently a nuisance than it is a serious concern. “Bloating can be uncomfortable, since it involves pressure,” says Olendzki.
What causes bloating?
Olendzki explains that such pressure is usually caused by “air produced by micro bacteria in the gut as a byproduct of digesting the foods you eat.” It’s a process that produces stomach gas called fermentation.
When there’s too much fermentation, it’s usually because too many carbohydrates weren’t naturally absorbed earlier in the digestive process as a result of one eating too quickly or eating too much.
And “bloating can occur after eating particular foods,” says Jesse Bracamonte, MD, DO, a family medicine physician at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. “Lactose or fructose intolerance are also common problems that can lead to bloating.”
Bloating can also be caused by a variety of other factors, “including how much sleep you got, how stressed you are, how hydrated you are, how much fiber you consumed or how many calories you do or don’t consume,” explains Ashley Hagensick, MEd, RD, a sports dietitian at Intermountain Health. It can also be caused by constipation, medication, a recent gain in weight, a menstrual cycle or from drinking carbonation or alcohol.
How to get rid of bloating
To deal with the discomfort or annoyance of bloating, a few simple measures can be helpful. These include drinking more water, taking digestive enzymes through dietary supplementation, stretching and movement, and, of course, expelling one’s buildup of air. Some foods such as ginger, bananas and avocados are also believed to reduce bloating, though supportive research is lacking.
To prevent or reduce instances of bloating altogether, “slow down your eating and chew each bite thoroughly before swallowing,” recommends Brooke Levine, RD, a dietician nutritionist at NYU Langone Health. Getting enough fiber and avoiding processed foods can also help limit cases of bloating. “And take a probiotic or eat probiotic-rich foods to help produce healthy bacteria in the colon/gut,” adds Levine.
For bloating related to specific food intolerances, Olendzki suggests “working with a dietitian who can often help to find out what is causing the bloating.” And if, after taking measures to deal with one’s bloating, the condition persists, is unexplained or is accompanied by other symptoms such as severe pain, nausea or vomiting, “seek further medical evaluation to rule out underlying health issues,” advises Bracamonte.
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