What should you know about intestinal bloating?

You may notice a visibly swollen abdomen, rumbling, belching, passing wind, or discomfort after eating. Bloating can be occasional, linked to a particular meal, or persistent enough to affect appetite and daily activities.

Common contributors include eating quickly, swallowing air, fizzy drinks, constipation, and changes in the gut’s handling of carbohydrates. Milk products may trigger symptoms in lactose intolerance, while other foods can cause symptoms through food intolerance. Recurrent bloating with abdominal pain and altered bowel habits can occur with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Bloating can also accompany conditions such as Coeliac Disease, Giardiasis, or Helicobacter Pylori Infection. The symptom alone cannot identify its cause, and many people have more than one contributing factor.

Keep a short record of meals, bowel movements, bloating, and other symptoms. Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, drink water, and try smaller meals. Gentle walking may help movement of gas and stool. If constipation is present, gradually review fibre and fluid intake rather than making a sudden large change.

Avoid removing many foods at once. A clinician or nutrition professional can help test a suspected trigger safely and protect a balanced diet; Nutrition Counselling may be useful when symptoms keep returning. Do not start a gluten-free diet before discussing testing if Coeliac Disease is a possibility, because this can affect assessment.

Arrange a medical review if bloating is new and persistent, repeatedly returns, or comes with ongoing diarrhoea, constipation, vomiting, weight loss, reduced appetite, fever, or blood in the stool. A clinician may ask about your diet, bowel pattern, medicines, menstrual cycle, and travel, then decide whether tests are appropriate.

Seek urgent care for severe or rapidly worsening abdominal pain, a hard swollen abdomen, repeated vomiting, inability to pass stool or wind, fainting, or breathing difficulty. These symptoms can signal a problem that needs prompt assessment.

Ask: What causes best fit my timing and bowel symptoms? Should I be tested for lactose intolerance, Coeliac Disease, or another condition? Which foods should I change first, and for how long? How can I manage constipation without worsening bloating? Which warning signs should prompt urgent help?