Feeling uncomfortably full? Bloating is normal and it happens to everyone. However, dealing with it can be unpleasant. What is bloating exactly and why does it happen?
Bloating is a sensation of fullness or tightness in the abdomen, which is often due to excess gas or fluid in the gastrointestinal tract, Dr. Anju Malieckal, a board-certified gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, tells TODAY.com. This can cause the belly to distend or “balloon out” beyond its normal size, she adds.
What causes bloating?
Excess gas in the digestive tract can be caused by swallowing too much air, which often occurs when a person eats too fast, says Dr. Malieckal. It can also result from a digestive issue or the contents of the intestines producing too much methane or hydrogen gas, Dr. Christine Lee, a gastroenterologist at the Cleveland Clinic, tells TODAY.com.
The most common culprit of excess abdominal gas is constipation or not emptying the bowels completely, says Dr. Lee.
“When stool is left behind … since our body temperature is 98.6 degrees (Fahrenheit) that’s a great climate for fermentation to occur, so you start producing gas and if you can’t pass it, it becomes trapped and causes the belly to distend and feel bloated,” says Lee.
Food sensitivities or intolerances (such as lactose intolerance) can also cause excess gas production and inflammation, the experts note.
Bloating may be a sign of bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine (also known as SIBO), which occurs when the bad bacteria in the intestines outnumbers the good bacteria, says Malieckal.
Bloating may also be related to stress or hormones. Menstruation can cause fluid retention in the abdomen, says Malieckal, which can cause bloating and discomfort. The drop in progesterone before a period can also slow digestion and result in constipation, Lee says.
“There are a number of medications that cause bloating, and then malignancies, like gastric cancer or ovarian cancer,” says Malieckal.
If…
Read the full article here
