By Dr. Amodita Ahuja, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist and laparoscopic surgeon and infertility specialist.
We often use the term bloated when we feel we are over full.
Bloating is nothing but when your abdomen is filled with gas which causes overdistention of the abdomen leading to pain, tighter clothes, constipation, more burping or farting or belching, and loss of appetite. It usually happens if you have consumed food beyond your capacity or gulped the food quickly without chewing it or the fat content of food was way too much. It can also happen if you have consumed a type of food to which your gut is allergic or intolerant to like gluten or lactose. Consumption of packaged foods can also lead to bloating as they are rich in monosodium glutamate.
Some of the precipitating factors are pregnancy, periods, smoking, consumption of aerated drinks. Sometimes few medications can leave you bloated like iron supplements, birth control pills, medications for constipation, antibiotics, narcotic pain medications.
There are also some medical conditions that can cause bloating are:
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Stomach infections with Helicobacter pylori are accompanied by nausea and diarrhea.
- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth wherein bad bacteria of the small intestine overgrows the good bacteria and causes digestion issues.
- Inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
- Liver and gallbladder disease like fatty liver or gall stones
- Premenstrual syndrome or premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- Cancer of ovary, uterus, colon, or peritoneum
- Gastroparesis i.e delayed emptying of the stomach especially in diabetics
- Adhesions in the abdominopelvic region due to endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, or previous surgery like hysterectomy
How to get rid of it?
- Understand the cause for bloating and then accordingly take the steps
- Suppose if you have constipation then consume plenty of water, increase the intake of dietary fibers.
- Watch for the foods which are causing this bloating whether it is after consuming chapati or bread or milk. If there is a pattern then avoid that food completely. Go gluten or lactose-free whichever you are sensitive to. Learn about the foods your body is accepting by maintaining a food diary.
- Over-the-counter medications like antacids might help.
- Consumption of peppermint and fennel water also helps in reducing bloating
- Turmeric water with ginger and pepper also helps in reducing bloating.
- Consume overnight soaked black raisins first after getting up in the morning, they reduce bloating and decrease water retention.
- You can also boil ajwain or carrom seeds in water make it cool and then consume it. It helps in reducing the bloating also
- Take small frequent meal and avoid a large single meal
- Eat slowly, take at least 20 minutes to chew your food
- Avoid consumption of too many aerated drinks
- Avoid smoking and alcohol
- Avoid salt in the evening meal as this will reduce water retention and hence bloating
- Finish your dinner before sunset
- Daily aerobic exercises for half an hour
- Try yoga as few yoga poses may help in the release of gases from the abdomen like child pose, squats.
- Include probiotic supplements in your diet as they will help in replacing the bad bacteria and hence will decrease gas production.
Bloating is a very common symptom that happens to most people on a regular basis. But if you have regular episodes of bloating which are associated with other symptoms also then it is advisable to consult a doctor. Once in a while try the above tips and you will be good to go.