What Causes Bloating

What Causes Bloating and Why It’s Not Just What You Eat

Introduction

Though bloating is one of the most frequent complaints related to digestive issues, it is also one of the least understood. When it comes to bloating, it is often assumed that it is no more than a symptom of eating the wrong things or eating too much. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Though it is true that dietary factors do count for something, it is often the case that bloating is something that is caused by a myriad of factors that relate to the way in which the body deals with these things.

This article examines the underlying causes of bloating, answering the questions of why it can occur even if you are eating healthy foods, among other factors that do not necessarily relate to what you are eating. Understanding both sides of the issue helps you better pinpoint what you need to do to feel relief.

What Bloating Really Is

Bloating refers to the feelings of heaviness or swelling in the abdomen that causes one to feel like their stomach is distended or bloated. It is often accompanied by gas, discomfort, pain, or alteration of bowel habits. Some individuals experience it with visible distention of the abdomen, while in other cases, it is marked by feelings of internal pressures without distention. It can be acute or chronic.

From a physiological point of view, bloating is brought about by the distension of the gut as a result of gas accumulation, fluid retention, reduced digestion rates, or altered muscle contractions in the bowel. This symptom is not necessarily related to gas volume, such that one can feel severely bloated despite low distension evident in images.

The Digestion Factor Beyond Dietary Considerations

Digestion is more about what you are eating as well as what your body does with it to work it through your digestive system. Poor digestion can occur even with healthy eating habits if the actual process of digestion is not occurring the way it should. This could occur with low levels of stomach acid, low levels of digestive enzymes, or poor bile flow, such as what is seen in gallstones.

When such food is not digested in the stomach or small intestine, it moves further into the digestive system, where bacteria ferment it. Fermentation of the food creates gas such as hydrogen, methane, or carbon dioxide gas that accumulates, resulting in pressure. This is what causes one to feel bloated after consuming healthy foods.

image credit: FREEPIK

Food Consumption Rate and Air Swallowing

How you eat is as important as what you eat. When you eat too quickly, it means you swallow more air, a condition that is referred to as aerophagia. This air gets trapped in the digestive system, causing bloating or belching. When you eat too quickly, you chew less, which is an important initial step in digestion.

It is an indicator of the body that signals the stomach to release digestive juices. When the body sends unchecked foods to the digestive system, it fails to break it down efficiently, causing bloating. A healthy meal would still lead to bloating if diligently chewed without attention to what the body is doing.

THE GUT-BRAIN CONNECTION

It is also significantly related to the brain through the gut-brain axis. This is the relationship between the nervous, hormone, and neurotransmitter systems. Stress, anxiety, and psychological issues can affect digestion. When the body is stressed, it does not prioritize digestion but focuses on survival. This results in reduced motility of the digestive system. It also decreases secretions in the gut.

This response to stress can result in an individual taking longer to consume their meals, indirectly causing fermentation and gas production to increase. It is also important to note that stress increases gut sensitivity to stimuli. As such, it is for this reason that one often observes bloating to increase with stress without necessarily altering eating behaviors.

Role of Hormones in Bloating

Hormones are also very important in fluid regulation, digestion, and bowel movement. Water retention can occur through fluctuations of certain hormones such as estrogen or progesterone, which can slow down digestion. This is witnessed in the menstrual cycle, in pregnancy, or at menopausal stages.

“Progesterone levels increase during the latter half of the menstrual cycle, causing relaxation of the smooth muscle tissues, such as that of the digestive tract." This causes constipation and bloating in women. “Imbalances of these hormones can also influence gut bacteria and render women more sensitive to discomforts of the digestive tract." That is, it affects women differently.

Imbalance in the Gut Micro

The gut microbiota is made up of trillions of bacteria that help with the digestion and processing of food. When the levels of this bacteria get disturbed, bloating can become a regular occurrence for the involved individual. An overgrowth of gas-producing bacteria or the absence of some beneficial bacteria could affect the fermentation of foods in the gut.

Antibiotics, stress, lack of sleep, or restricted diets can contribute to microbiome imbalance. When the gut is out of balance, it can easily produce too much gas from even the simplest of foods. Sometimes, bloating is one of the first signs the body is indicating a need for gut care.

Food Intolerances: Only Part of the Big Picture

Food intolerance such as lactose or fructose intolerance is often cited as the reason for bloating, but it is often a contributing issue that is not necessarily the root of the problem. It is often the case that people end up cutting out foods without correcting issues in their digestive systems.

Food intolerance can result from poor digestion or damage to the digestive system, as it is not the initial issue. Lactose intolerance, for example, can be exacerbated by irritation in the gut or decreased production of enzymes. Digestive health issues may improve tolerance to certain foods.

Digestive Issues: Constipation & Poor Gut Per

“Constipation is one of the least recognized causes of bloating.” When the bowel empties slowly, gas is trapped, causing the buildup of pressure. This creates bloating without necessarily producing more gas. Some people experience bloating with small meals or fasting.

Poor gut motility can be caused by dehydration, low dietary fiber, a sedentary lifestyle, stress, or improper nerve signals to the gut. At times, bloating is the only issue with constipated patients who do not pass their bowel regularly.

Fluid Retention & Salt Sensitivity

Not all bloating is related to gas. Fluid retention can make a person feel like they are bloating since the abdomen swells. Sodium intake, hormonal imbalance, dehydration, or some medications can make the body retain fluids. If the body retains fluids in the abdominal region, it results in a bloated sensation that is not related to gas.

Ironically, dehydration can also contribute to fluid retention since the body tends to retain fluids as a natural way of protecting itself. This bloating tends to vary from day to day, with some women noticing it in the evenings.

Impact of Poor Posture & Poor Movement

Sitting for prolonged periods is characteristic of current lifestyles that contribute to poor digestion, resulting in bloating. When a person bends or slouches, the body hinders the functioning of the digestive system by slowing down digestion with the reduced stimulation that occurs with little movement.

Activities like walking after eating help in gentle movement that promotes natural contractions of the intestines to push the gas or food through. One who is often bloated is likely to be someone who is sedentary despite having a balanced diet.

Nervous System Sensitivity

There are some people who experience bloating as a result of having more sensitive nerve signals in the digestive tract, as opposed to gas accumulation or distension. This is a situation where one would experience discomfort or pain in digestive activities.

In such instances, bloating is both a physical sensation as well as a neural one. A person’s gut could overreact to slight changes in either pressure or movement that would otherwise go unnoticed by other people. Such overreacting is often attributed to factors such as stress, previous illnesses, or digestive imbalances.

Sleep & Circadian Rhythm Disturbances

Sleep is a critical aspect that helps in the regulation of digestion as well as hormone levels. Poor sleep or inconsistency in sleep patterns is likely to affect the movement of digested food through the body. When the body clock is disrupted, digestion becomes poor, causing bloating.

Late eating, shift work, or irregular meal times can also disturb the body’s natural rhythm of digestion. This could eventually make bloating a regular problem for you instead of just an occasional one.

Medications and Supplements

Some medications that could potentially work to make one feel bloated include antibiotics, which could disturb the microbiota of the digestive system; pain medications that could irritate the mucosa of the digestive tract; medications that could cause fluid retention through hormonal means; or iron supplements that could retard the process of digestion.

Even natural supplements can produce bloating if consumed excessively or without the right advice. Magnesium supplements, fibers, or protein powders can each work differently for individual digestive systems.

Why Bloating May Sometimes Continue with Healthy Dieting

It is often a source of disappointment for some individuals that their bodies continue experiencing bloating despite their strict eating of healthy meals. This disappointment is often driven by the thought that eating is the only cause of their body discomfort. This is not the case since bloating is often caused by the accumulation of digestive system stress.

When digestion becomes impaired by factors such as stress, hormonal disorders, lack of sleep, or an imbalance of gut bacteria, healthy foods can become problematic. An exclusive concentration on removing problematic foods from one’s diet could potentially exacerbate this by adding more concerns related to eating.

A Whole-Body Perspective: Why You Need One

Each Bloating is seldom a standalone problem. It can often indicate that some imbalance is occurring in the body. When dealing with bloating, it is important to look at it from a broader perspective that takes into account digestion, levels of stress, physical activity, sleep, and emotional factors.

A pattern observation, as opposed to focusing on eating, can make it easier to point out non-diet related triggers. Helping the nervous system, maximizing digestive efficiency, or rebalancing the gut can often provide more sustainable relief with regard to what one is eating.

Conclusion: What Causes Bloating

Bloating is a symptom that is difficult to understand, as it has multiple factors that could influence it, and it is not just about the food that one consumes. Though it is true that what one eats is important, issues such as the efficiency of digestion, levels of stress, hormones, bacteria, lifestyle factors, and nervous sensitivities are given the same importance.

Instead of seeing bloating as an issue of self-control or dietary decisions, one could look at bloating as important information given by the body. When one considers bloating holistically, bloating often becomes a cure for better health instead of just something to resist.