Thursday, October 28, 2010

Are You Suffering From A Bloating Stomach?

The older you get, it might seem harder and harder to fit into your favorite pair of jeans, or that little black dress. While most people can blame a sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, or lack of physical exercise for this expansion around their mid-section, it's important to remember that a bloating stomach can also be a sign of a serious physical condition. If you've been dealing with unexplained abdominal bloating, it might be time to investigate your digestive health to see if a malfunctioning gastrointestinal system is at fault.

What Is Abdominal Bloating?

We've all eaten big holiday meals after which it felt necessary to loosen our belts or unbutton the top button of our pants. The stomach is a very flexible organ, although for most people, it's only the size of their fist when empty. Eating food stretches the stomach slightly, and when you over eat it can cause even more significant abdominal bloating. Typically though, when people complain about a bloating stomach, they are actually feeling the effects of a gas buildup inside the stomach cavity. This abdominal bloating can be caused by eating foods that are known to cause gas, or by an imbalance of good and bad bacteria in the digestive system.

Causes of Abdominal Bloating

Depending on age, gender, and health status, there can be many different things that cause a bloating stomach. It's important to pay attention to the foods and activities that seem to make the abdominal bloating better or worse, because these things can act as clues to help you discover the source of your gas bloating. Some common causes of abdominal bloating are:

- Too much alcohol
- Eating too many salty or processed foods
- Pre-menstrual Tension
- A lack of protein in the diet
- An intestinal disorder, like Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Drinking too many carbonated beverages, including beer
- Lactose intolerance
- Food allergies
- Intestinal inflammation or obstruction

Some of these causes of bloating stomach, like lactose intolerance, food allergies, or pre-menstrual tension are beyond your control, but there are still things that you can do to reduce the discomfort you feel from the abdominal bloating. Other causes, like intestinal disorders and inflammation are causes of gas bloating that can usually be treated with natural remedies.

What Can You Do For A Bloating Stomach?

One of the first things that you can do to help alleviate the discomfort of a bloating stomach is to change your diet to include fewer foods that are known to cause gas. If you're in the habit of eating a lot of fast foods or processed foods like TV dinners, it might be worth it to cut way back for a week to see if it helps reduce the gas bloating as well.

Treating Your Bloating Stomach with Probiotics

If you've determined that intestinal or digestive issues are what are causing your bloating stomach, you should know that many people have had success improving this condition with probiotics. Probiotics are made from beneficial bacteria that are known to return normal digestive function and reduce abdominal bloating easily.

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