Wind and Bloating
What is the best test to understand why you are bloated?
IBS Specialists as featured in the Guardian
What is the best test for bloating?
Many of the clients we see complain of experiencing wind and a bloated stomach. Some also complain of wind and nausea and wind and stomach pain.
There are several tests that may be helpful in identifying the underlying causes of bloating.
These include food intolerance tests, stool tests for the detection of Parasitic infections and a fungal overgrowth.
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is also a condition that may be linked to gas and bloating.
Why am I bloated?
Bloating is a condition whereby your abdomen, stomach is filled with gas and air.
It can make you feel very uncomfortable, some people describe looking pregnant!
In some case your bloating may get worse as the day goes on. You may start out with a flat tummy and by the end of the day your tummy is swollen. The more food you eat, the more your stomach feels full and tight. For many people this can be a recurring problem. The underlying cause may be a digestive issue or sometimes it may be due to hormonal changes.
Causes of Wind & Bloating
What foods cause bloating?
Bloating can be caused by a number of foods and food intolerances. Lactose intolerance or gluten intolerance, yeast intolerance and, Fodmaps may all be linked to bloating.
Lactose intolerance cause bloating
Lactose is found in milk and certain cheeses, cream and ice cream and may be the cause of bloating, wind and gas. This is due to a deficiency in an enzyme called lactase that breaks down lactose.
Can eating carbs cause bloating?
For many people eating a large amount of carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, pastries and potatoes can make them retain water and this can lead to bloating and distension.
FODMAPS – Fermentable foods cause bloating
Certain foods are very hard to break down and digest including onions, garlic, beans such as lentils and broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. For some people bloating is linked to eating these foods. There is a diet that has been developed by Monash university in Australia called the low-fodmap diet that may be of great benefit to patients who suffer with IBS and bloating.
Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth can cause Bloating
In fact there may be links between bloating with a condition known as small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. This is a condition whereby patients develop an excess quantity of bacteria in the small intestine and experience symptoms including bloating, wind and gas and constipation and diarrhoea. We offer testing for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Do contact us if you would like to get tested for this condition.
Remedies for Wind & Bloating
The first step is is to understand your specific trigger for bloating as the treatment and remedies for bloating will be dependent on the underlying cause.
Some patients will benefit from the removal of specific foods should their bloating be linked to be a food intolerance such as lactose intolerance.
If the underlying cause of bloating is constipation, then this needs to be addressed. Again understanding what is the cause of constipation is key. We do not recommend the routine use of laxatives as dependency may develop. There are natural supplements including Magnesium Citrate that may be of benefit. There are a variety of functional medicine tests that we can offer that may be of benefit when looking for the causes of constipation, these include SIBO breath tests and food intolerance tests and stool tests for a yeast overgrowth and parasitic infections.