Bloating is one of the most common complaints I hear in my office, and the good news is that it can almost always be treated once we determine the underlying cause. Frequent bloating can be uncomfortable, but for many women it affects their confidence and how they feel about their body.
Here are the most common things I look for when a patient complains of being bloated:
Provisions
1. Intestinal proliferation of yeasts
2. Food intolerances
3. Gluten sensitivity or celiac disease
4. Insulin resistance
5. Bad food combinations
6. Irregular meal times
7. Deficiency in digestive enzymes (including lactose intolerance)
8. Other causes of dysbiosis – small intestinal bacterial overgrowth or parasites
Some of these factors can be tested for – food intolerance, gluten sensitivity, celiac disease, insulin resistance, and in other cases we treat based on symptoms and history.
1. Intestinal proliferation of yeasts
Intestinal yeast overgrowth is extremely common, and is usually caused by frequent or long-term antibiotic use. The most common scenarios are – lots of antibiotics as a child for ear or tonsil infections, use of long-term antibiotics for acne (tetracycline or minocin), or antibiotics for frequent infections of the urinary tract. Antibiotics modify your digestive flora, allowing yeast, which is an opportunistic organism, to take over.
When there is too much yeast in the body, you will be bloated. This is because yeast ferments food, causing flatulence. Some people will also experience strong cravings sugar or carbohydrates, tendencies to binge eating, brain fog, fatigue, vaginal infections, and possibly fungal skin infections.
The good news is that this can be treated by rebalancing your gut flora with a yeast cleanse: a sugar-free diet, taking supplements to kill yeast, and replenishing gut flora with probiotics.
2. Food intolerances
Food intolerance is different from food allergy in that it is a delayed reaction to a food, rather than an immediate response such as itching, swelling or anaphylaxis. Food intolerances cause immune stress and inflammation, which can also irritate the intestinal tract causing bloating. The most common food intolerances are dairy products, eggs, certain fruits (banana, citrus fruits, pineapple in particular), sometimes oilseeds (almonds and peanuts are the most common), wheat, gluten, corn or others.
Food intolerances can be tested with a blood test to accurately identify them. Food intolerance would be suspected in someone with a history of allergies, eczema, asthma or a family history of autoimmune disease, but can also be associated with many other health problems, such as skin conditions, digestive disorders, and lack of energy. Bloating will improve within 4 to 6 weeks after eliminating all aggravating foods.
3. Gluten sensitivity or celiac disease
Gluten intolerance and celiac disease (a more serious form of gluten intolerance) are clearly on the rise, mainly due to the big changes in wheat over the last 50 years, and also our high consumption of cereal products. Many people who have gluten sensitivity complain of bloating, with or without flatulence, constipation or diarrhea.
