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Everything about intestinal gas and bloating: what is normal, what causes it, how to get relief, medical treatments, and the warning signs that need a doctor.
By Editorial Team · Updated · 3 min read
This article is awaiting review by a qualified medical professional.
Quick answer
Gas and bloating are usually caused by swallowed air, gut bacteria fermenting certain foods, constipation, or conditions such as IBS, lactose intolerance and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Eating slowly, avoiding fizzy drinks and chewing gum, identifying trigger foods, walking after meals and treating constipation often help. See a doctor for persistent bloating, weight loss, blood in the stool, vomiting or severe pain.
Gas and bloating are among the most common digestive complaints. They are usually harmless, but they can be uncomfortable and sometimes point to an underlying condition.
Bacteria in the large intestine break down carbohydrates that are not digested earlier, producing gas. Common culprits are beans and lentils, cabbage, broccoli, onions, garlic, wheat, dairy, fruit high in fructose, and sugar alcohols such as sorbitol and xylitol. See foods that cause gas and bloating.
FODMAPs are types of fermentable carbohydrates. A dietitian can guide you through a short trial of a low-FODMAP diet, followed by reintroduction to find which types you tolerate. It should not be followed long term without guidance.
Treatment depends on the cause and may include:
See a doctor if bloating or gas is persistent or worsening, or comes with:
Persistent bloating in women, especially over 50, that does not come and go should be checked by a doctor, because it can occasionally be an early sign of ovarian cancer.
Seek emergency care for sudden severe abdominal pain, a rigid swollen abdomen, or vomiting with an inability to pass gas or stool.
It is normal to pass gas about 13 to 21 times a day and to burp several times, especially after meals. Feeling gassy is often about sensitivity of the gut rather than the amount of gas.
Gas is air or gas in the digestive tract that you burp or pass. Bloating is the feeling of fullness, tightness or pressure in the abdomen, and distension is visible swelling. You can be bloated without having extra gas.
Walking, passing gas or burping, applying a warm heat pack, sipping peppermint or ginger tea, and avoiding fizzy drinks can help. For gas-producing foods, an alpha-galactosidase enzyme, or lactase if you are lactose intolerant, may reduce symptoms.
Bloating that is persistent and does not come and go, especially in women over 50, or that comes with weight loss, blood in the stool, vomiting, difficulty swallowing, severe pain, anemia or a swollen abdomen with leg swelling, should be checked by a doctor promptly.
Some people improve, but results are mixed and depend on the strain. A few weeks' trial of one product is reasonable if you are otherwise healthy.
This article is for educational purposes only and does not replace advice from a doctor or other qualified health professional. See our medical disclaimer.
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