Top 10 reasons for Abdominal Bloat and how to tame it!

Are you alone in your abdominal bloat?

Abdominal bloating is one of the most common gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms for all genders and ages. It’s estimated that 15 to 30% of Americans regularly experience abdominal bloating.

Some people describe abdominal bloat as a brick in their gut or a “food-baby belly.”

The severity of bloating can go from mild to severe. Some women only will wear elastic waistbands to relieve their daily discomfort. Others have days when they look forward to returning home to change into their roomy sweatpants.

The causes of abdominal bloating are many and identifying the root cause requires detective-like clinical skills by their practitioner and patience by the person with the symptom.

Before we look at the causes of abdominal bloating, if you experience sudden and persistent bloating, be sure to talk to your doctor. A recent onset of  abdominal bloating is one of the symptoms of female reproductive cancers.

What causes abdominal bloating?

Abdominal bloating can be visible or simply an uncomfortable body sensation. When we can see abdominal bloating, it’s called distention. Yet not everyone who feels bloated also has physical distention. This is connected to the cause of the bloating.

Much of the science we have learned about abdominal bloating comes from the work with individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).  People with IBS name abdominal bloating as the second most frequent symptom after abdominal pain.

If you’re experiencing abdominal pain and wonder if you have IBS click here for my previous article on “Could that cramping abdominal pain be IBS?”

Other causes for abdominal bloating include:

• Crohn’s Disease
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Gastritis
• Peptic Ulcer Disease
• Constipation
• Intestinal obstructions
• Celiac Disease
• Liver Disease
• Pancreatic Cancer
• Intestinal Cancers (i.e., stomach/colon)
• Fluid in abdomen
• Fore mentioned, ovarian and cervical cancer

However, many people without IBS or the above reasons, do experience abdominal bloating on occasion or even daily. Why?

What’s happening in the gut to cause abdominal bloating?

The first noted symptom of abdominal bloat is listed at the Mayo Clinic by a female patient in 1949. Since then, we have learned a lot about the potential causes of abdominal bloating and other syndromes or diseases associated with abdominal bloating.

Let’s look at 10 possible reasons for abdominal bloating:

1. Your gut microbiota is out of balance.

The gut microbiota refers to the 500-1000 species of bacteria along with a variety of yeast, fungi, and archaea that make our gut their home. Collectively, they are called the gut microbiome.

The microbiome is responsible for keeping our immune system healthy; create essential vitamins; provide the gut with the fuel the cells need to create protective micronutrients that prevent the growth of colon cancer cells.

This community works best when balanced, a mixture of different types of bacteria. An imbalanced microbiome can lead to increased production of intestinal gases that create the sensation of abdominal bloat/physical distention.

2. Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth

The microbiota prefers its home to be in our lower intestines, the colon. However, sometimes the bacteria take up residence in the small intestine.

This is undesirable and can result in Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). There are a several causes for SIBO. One thing they have in common is the symptom of abdominal bloating.

Other SIBO symptoms include cramping, gas, diarrhea, heartburn, food sensitivities, inflammation, overall poor digestion, and symptoms outside the digestive tract like eczema. 

Bacteria found in the small intestine can increase the fermentation of carbohydrate containing foods. The gas produced from the fermentation causes both abdominal bloating and distention. 

3. Low stomach acid

The marketing machinery would have you believe we’re suffering from an over-production of stomach acid. Wrong! In fact, by the age of 50 the parietal cells that produce stomach acid begin to lose their output.

By the time we reach 65 years of age, we can have lost as much as 30% of stomach acid production.

A lack of stomach acid, specifically, hydrochloric acid, results in many symptoms including feeling like food isn’t moving out of our stomach (AKA the “brick in the gut”), abdominal bloating and distention.

There are times when we do experience an over production of acid in the gut. This can lead to a serious medical diagnosis like ulcers. The treatment includes a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) like Prevacid. Short term use of these drugs can be a game changer for healing an ulcerated gut. 

However, a daily use of these pills, whether prescribed or over-the-counter, has numerous side effects. Side effects include a reduction in absorption of vitamin B12 and the mineral magnesium. Both essential for energy production.

One of the roles of stomach acid is to breakdown protein foods (meat, eggs, chicken, etc.) When protein isn’t broken down properly an overabundance of undigested food-related proteins in the small intestine can lead to the gut’s immune system to become over reactive. This can lead to an increase in food sensitivities and abdominal bloating.

Another reason why we need acid in the gut is that acid keeps a lid on the type and quantity of bacteria in the gut. This comes in handy when we eat tainted foods.

The presence of hydrochloric acid in gastric juices produced by the stomach prevents anemia, osteoporosis, nerve disorders, yeast infections, hair loss in women and many more illnesses. Whereas, too much acid in stomach is also harmful and leads to stomach ulcers.

When it comes to stomach acid, the Goldilocks’ principle applies. Not too much, not too little!

The use of digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid supplements can help with symptoms. However, the use of hydrochloric acid is never suggested for anyone with current gastritis or an ulcer.

 

 

4. Food intolerances

What’s the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance?

Food allergies occur when the body creates IgE antibodies to a food, which triggers the release of histamine and other pro-inflammatory molecules from mast cells. These reactions are typically rapid, occurring within minutes or hours.

For example, peanut allergies typically cause immediate swelling, hives, and difficulty breathing. A food allergy can lead to death. Carrying an epinephrine containing self-injection device is recommended to counter act the serious consequences of inadvertently consuming the allergic food.

Food intolerances differ than food allergies since an intolerance does NOT involve the immune system. They occur when the body lacks the digestive enzymes needed to break down certain foods.

Common food intolerances include lactose and fructose. Lactose intolerance results from a loss of the enzyme, lactase needed to break down the lactose in all dairy products.

Lactose intolerance increases with age. This intolerance can cause bloating, distention and even explosive diarrhea.

 

The other food intolerance, fructose refers to the sugar found naturally in fruits and vegetable. The term “fructose intolerance” is a bit less strait forward. That’s because it refers to two different conditions, with very different outcomes:

1. Dietary fructose intolerance.
2. Hereditary fructose intolerance.

Hereditary fructose intolerance is a serious malabsorption problem that is identified in babies. This is a genetic condition in which people are born without an enzyme that breaks down fructose. Without this enzyme, they can’t digest fructose at all.

For this article we’ll look at dietary fructose intolerance. If you have dietary fructose intolerance, cells in your intestine don’t absorb fructose as they should. Fructose intolerance is fairly common.

In people with dietary fructose intolerance (sometimes called fructose malabsorption), eating foods high in fructose can lead to uncomfortable symptoms, including:

• Bloating
• Gas
• Diarrhea
• Stomach pain

People with dietary fructose intolerance have a threshold for the type and amount of fructose they eat that causes symptoms.

Some guidelines of foods with the most fructose include certain fruits like mango, grapes and pears, dried fruits and fruits canned in juice or syrup. Vegetables include artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, leeks, mushrooms, okra, onions, peas, red pepper, shallots and tomato products.

If you notice abdominal bloat and/or distention after a green smoothie, it may be jam-packed with healthy fruits and veggies but taken all together can spell trouble for your tummy.

5. Food sensitivities

Food sensitivities do involve the immune system BUT not the IgE antibodies seen with food allergies. A sensitivity to a food result when a type of white blood cell is released which triggers a pro-inflammatory chemical known as mediators into the bloodstream.

The reaction from a food sensitivity is usually delayed and dose-dependent. An example of a food sensitivity is wheat, which can cause abdominal bloating, pain, even diarrhea along with brain fog the day after eating 2 slices of pizza.

The reaction may go beyond the gut and cause symptoms such as skin disorders like psoriasis. If you are experiencing abdominal bloating due to food sensitivities, you will likely notice a bloated stomach an hour or a few hours after your meals.

The most common food sensitivities include wheat and other gluten-containing grains, eggs, soy, corn, and nuts, especially, almonds, pistachios and cashews. However, it may be possible that your body is sensitive to something less common than most people wouldn’t react to.

6. Poor bile flow

Do you burp after taking fish oils? Do you get bloated after having a meal cooked with foods like coconut milk, cheeses, full-fat dairy, avocados or fried foods? If you said yes, you may have a less than optimally functioning gallbladder.

The gallbladder is an organ that works as a storage tank for bile. Bile is part of the normal digestive process for emulsifying or breaking down the fat in the foods we eat.

In order for the gallbladder to do its job it first needs bile salts. Bile salts bind to receptors in the gut to give the orders to create bile. Low bile salts mean less bile produced.

It’s desirable for bile to be thin and when bile becomes thick it’s called sludge. If sludge continues to thicken, it turns into a gallstone. Bile sludge is relatively common and it can cause abdominal bloating, distention and even burping.

When the gallbladder is removed, the near-bye cystic duct takes over the job. Once the gallbladder is removed, a person becomes more prone to the symptoms of abdominal bloating since there is a lack of bile salts produced without a gallbladder.

7. Eating habits/style

The grab and go eating style may save you time in the kitchen but can leave your gut tied up in knots! Mealtime should not be treated like an item to be checked off your to-do list. 

Chugging drinks and eating very quickly both increase the chance you will swallow air as you’re swallowing your food. This introduces more air to your stomach, which leads to bloating and discomfort.

Likewise, eating a lot at one sitting may cause a bloated stomach. Think of how you feel after a typical Thanksgiving meal. This type of bloating isn’t caused by gas in the digestive system. It’s just an overload of food in the relatively confined space – your stomach!

8. Stress!!!

Whether your stress is a fender bender, a work dead-line, or pain, any type of stress affects the gut. When stress hits us, our bodies react by driving blood away from the digestive process.

 

Our stomach also reduces the number of digestive enzymes produced which can result in abdominal bloating, constipation, diarrhea or a plain old stomachache.

We don’t always connect our actions to the manifestation of gut symptoms.  Yet when feeling stressed, we often revert to nervous habits that relieve our anxiety like chewing gum, gulping carbonated drinks, eating fast, overdosing on sugar, having one too many alcoholic drinks, or even gulping air through mouth breathing.

All of these habits push air into the stomach that contributes to abdominal bloat. Combining these habits with the effects of stress on the gut shows that stress is a highly modifiable factor to abdominal bloating.

9. Surprise – Exercise!

Exercise is the best antidote to overall health and well-being. A daily walk can actually help to move things along in the gut lessening abdominal bloat.

But for those that push the exercise envelope, like long-distance runners, their exercise program often impacts their gut health. Runners often experience digestive malfunctioning leading to abdominal bloat, cramping, pain, and diarrhea.

But even those that are recreational exercisers can experience abdominal bloating. A common post-workout feeling is bloating or a feeling of heaviness after a workout. Water retention is the most common reason why you may feel bloated after an intense workout.

What’s going on here, aren’t we suppose to stay hydrated while we work out? Hydration is important but drinking too much water and too fast can make you feel bloated. Big gulps of water, especially during high intensity workouts can dilute sodium in the body leading to belly bloat.

10. Specific Foods

Many problems with bloating are connected to food. Consuming fried foods, simple carbs, certain vegetables and fruits, and ultra-processed foods all are culprits.

Another cause, fiber can occur if you increase your intake of fiber too quickly.  Jumping into 1 tablespoon of a powdered fiber supplement or eating a big bowl of chili is great for your gut, but increasing the amount of fiber too quickly often results in abdominal bloating and gas production.

In addition, certain foods, like broccoli, cabbage, and beans often result in abdominal bloat, distention and gas. It’s not unusual for someone to start to eat healthier (i.e., vegetables and fruits) notice either an increase or new abdominal bloating.

For people with IBS or SIBO, they have significant abdominal bloating when they eat foods with a higher content of fermentable oligosaccharides-disaccharides-monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAP).

Examples of high-food map foods include wheat, onions, garlic, mango, milk and honey.

Knowing which foods are high in one or more FODMAP components and establishing your tolerance level is the first step in reducing abdominal bloat. It usually doesn’t mean you have to avoid this food forever but instead discover the portion size that your gut can digest without distress.

In conclusion …

Now that you know several of the causes of abdominal bloating it’s time to look at the actions you can take to reduce or even just-about eliminate abdominal bloating.

This article is part 1 of a two-part series focusing on abdominal bloat. References for this article are available upon request.

Part 2 of this article will look at how to reduce or even eliminate abdominal bloat.

In the meantime, download my free eGuide, “Beat the Bloat, Love your Belly Again!” to jump start your plan to reduce abdominal bloating.

See the link below to sign up now!