Stomach gas is usually harmless and caused by swallowing air or gas, carbonated drinks, dairy products, fructose, starchy foods, fatty foods, and high fiber intake. Gastrointestinal diseases, chronic conditions, and certain medications can also cause stomach gas. Seeking medical attention is necessary if symptoms persist or are accompanied by severe pain, bloody stools, fever, vomiting, or chest pain.
Most people have a stomach full of gas from something they ate or drank. One of the most common causes is carbonated drinks, although many other foods can lead to excessive gas production in the stomach. Some diseases and even some medications can also cause or contribute to the problem. While it can be embarrassing and uncomfortable, stomach gas is usually harmless. Sometimes it can be a symptom of an illness or disease, however, severe or long-term cases should be reported to a doctor.
A healthy digestive system is filled with billions of bacteria of various species, some of which produce waste gases by metabolizing undigested food. Also in the digestive system there are bacteria that absorb and metabolize these gases and produce other types of waste. The balance of bacteria present in the digestive system has a rather profound influence on the amount of gas expelled from the body and an alteration of this balance often leads to an excess. Both diet and digestive health play a role in determining the balance of bacteria in the gut.
Eat and drink
A common cause of stomach gas is swallowing more air or gas than normal. For example, drinking any type of carbonated beverage will cause this problem, simply because those beverages contain dissolved carbon dioxide. Gum and hard candy can also increase the risk, because people tend to swallow more often when they chew or suck on them. Excessive air swallowing can also occur when you eat a large meal, eat quickly, or when food isn’t chewed thoroughly.
Many people experience bloating and flatulence after eating dairy products. People who are lactose intolerant cannot digest milk sugar easily, which means that large amounts of lactose pass from the stomach into the colon. The bacteria there metabolize it and produce gas. For similar reasons, a diet high in fructose can cause the same problem for some people, and starchy foods, such as potatoes and corn, can cause stomach gas.
Fatty foods can also cause this problem, as they take longer to digest. This means the bacteria have more time to work and produce more waste. Besides being healthier for other reasons, eating fewer high-fat foods may allow your stomach to empty more quickly, relieving that gassy feeling.
Increasing your dietary fiber intake is a good way to improve digestive health, but it can lead to increased digestive gas production. Some of the worst offenders here are beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage. This excess occurs because dietary fiber isn’t digested in the stomach, but passes into the colon, where much of it is metabolized by gas-producing bacteria. A gradual increase in dietary fiber will help alleviate this problem, because it gives both the digestive system and its bacterial population time to adjust to the added fiber.
Diseases and medical conditions
Gastrointestinal diseases often cause a gassy stomach in addition to symptoms such as bloating, cramping, pain and diarrhea. Such diseases include irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, as well as infectious diseases such as gastroenteritis. In the case of gastroenteritis, symptoms typically go away once the disease has run its course.
When a chronic condition like irritable bowel syndrome is the cause, symptoms are ongoing and may persist even when treated with medications or dietary modifications. This is because chronic gastrointestinal disease interferes with digestion and food is more likely to pass through the stomach and into the colon. Treating such conditions is difficult, and a person with one of these chronic conditions may need to try different medications and dietary changes to find a combination that helps control symptoms.
Drug related causes
Some types of medications can cause stomach gas because they interfere with digestion or because they upset the balance of bacterial populations in the gastrointestinal tract. For example, taking antibiotics can cause digestive problems because these drugs are specifically designed to kill bacteria. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are typically the culprit here because they can be metabolized by a wide range of species. Other types of medications, including some drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes, can also lead to increased gas production, because they block the digestion of carbohydrates in the stomach.
When antibiotics are to blame, symptoms typically resolve over time, once the course of medication has been completed. Taking probiotic supplements or consuming live culture yogurt for a few days can help improve the situation, as they will help replenish the body’s populations of gas-absorbing bacteria. Probiotics, as well as over-the-counter antigas formulations, can also be helpful when medications must be taken long-term.
Diagnosing the causes of gastric gas
In most cases, the causes of excess gas can be traced to an innocuous reason, such as a change in diet or eating habits. However, some causes are more serious, so it’s a good idea for anyone with symptoms that last longer than a week or two or are accompanied by other digestive issues to speak to a doctor. Common signs of a more serious problem include symptoms such as severe stomach pain, bloody stools, fever, vomiting, and chest pain.
If your doctor suspects a more serious medical condition may be causing your symptoms, they may order blood tests or an imaging test, such as an ultrasound of the stomach. In some cases, a computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) might help diagnose the cause.
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