What should you know about stomach bloating and gas relief?

Gas enters the digestive tract through swallowed air and is also produced when gut bacteria break down some carbohydrates. Eating quickly, chewing gum, smoking, fizzy drinks, and certain foods can increase the sensation. Constipation may trap gas and create pressure. Repeated symptoms with cramps or bowel changes can occur with irritable bowel syndrome, food intolerance, lactose intolerance, or coeliac disease. Giardiasis and Helicobacter pylori infection are other possible explanations when diarrhoea, nausea, or ongoing upper abdominal symptoms are present. Bloating is a symptom, not a diagnosis.

Eat slowly, chew well, and reduce fizzy drinks, gum, and habits that make you swallow air. Gentle walking may help some people, but stop if pain increases. Drink fluids regularly and work towards comfortable bowel movements with gradual fibre changes rather than a sudden large increase. A pharmacist can advise whether an over-the-counter option is suitable with your medicines and health conditions. Keep a diary before removing multiple foods; nutrition counselling can support a structured plan.

Seek urgent help for severe or sudden abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, blood or black stool, fainting, a hard swollen abdomen, or inability to pass gas or stool. Book a medical review if bloating is persistent, increasingly uncomfortable, associated with weight loss, fever, ongoing diarrhoea, marked constipation, swallowing difficulty, or reduced appetite. Do not assume gas is the explanation when symptoms are new and severe.

Ask whether constipation, a food trigger, intolerance, infection, or irritable bowel syndrome could explain the gas; which medicines are suitable; and what symptoms should prompt a faster review.