What you must remember:
- A swollen stomach can be due to an unbalanced lifestyle, a pathology, or food consumption and drug treatments.
- To effectively combat a bloated stomach, adapting your diet and staying hydrated enough are the keys.
- Practicing moderate physical activity helps activate the digestive system
- Using plants (caraway, fennel) and vegetable charcoal can help deflate your stomach quickly
Causes of a bloated stomach
A bloated belly can be the result of many things such as lifestyle, the occurrence of an illness, food consumption and medical treatments and many others.
Nutrition and hydration
Diet is the most recurring factor in transit disorders, bloating or stomach swelling. Indeed, if it is not suitable and too rich in fermentable products, carbonated drinks, fats, proteins, this can cause many inconveniences such as the accumulation of gas . Furthermore, in the context of an intolerance, this type of symptom is often found due to a reaction of the intestine and the digestive machinery. These intolerances may concern lactose and gluten.
However, these intolerances should not be confused with an allergy which causes a more violent reaction from the body: release of histamine with specific symptoms such as redness, difficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea and Quinck's edema. In order to determine the dietary origin of your symptoms, it is important to carry out a blood test to find out the food tolerance profile.
Lack of hydration can also be a cause. Indeed, a lack of water intake is responsible for a slowdown in digestive transit which can lead to the occurrence of constipation and therefore to an increase in gas production.
Physical inactivity
Lack of physical activity leads to a lack of stimulation of the body's muscles, particularly those located at the intestinal level. This leads to a decrease in intestinal motility, a natural movement allowing the advancement of the food bolus throughout transit. In addition, this induces an increase in the fermentation of food in the intestine due to its stagnation.
Medical issues and pathologies
Apart from lifestyle, a swollen stomach can be due to factors which unfortunately cannot be changed for some. A pathology or medical problem can cause this type of digestive discomfort due to inflammation, disruption of the intestinal microbiota, or disruption of metabolism.
Here are some specific pathologies or conditions that can recurrently cause a bloated stomach:
- IBD (Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease)
- IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
- SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth)
- Gastritis
- Hiatal hernia
- Menstruation
- Menopause
- Endometriosis
A treatment
Certain drug treatments can also cause a swollen stomach which is often due to weight gain:
- Corticosteroids
- Insulin
- Antidepressants, anxiolytics
- Beta blockers
An unbalanced microbiota
The intestinal microbiota , made up of billions of microorganisms, is involved in many functions of the body. Its imbalance, called dysbiosis , is the cause of digestive, immune, but also metabolic and cerebral disorders. Indeed, our current lifestyles can cause a deficit in good bacteria, called probiotics, and give way to intestinal porosity .
The stress
Excess physiological stress causes an alteration of the gut-brain axis. Through changes in gastrointestinal motility and secretions, increases in pro-inflammatory protein secretions, and an imbalance in the microbiota.
Our advice for deflating your belly quickly
#1 – Adapt your diet and hydration
Changing your diet to promote better digestive comfort is the first line of defense against bloating and a swollen stomach.
Indeed, favor lighter meals by limiting the consumption of animal proteins, fermentable foods rich in FODMAP , raw vegetables and meals high in fat. For deeper and longer-lasting effects, it is also possible to consume foods rich in probiotics and good for your intestinal flora in order to balance it and promote better digestive transit.
Likewise, maintaining a correct hydration level with 1.5L of water per day helps strengthen the body's functions and support optimal intestinal transit. To vary the pleasures, it is possible to flavor your water (lemon, cucumber, strawberry, etc.) or to drink tea, coffee and infusions in addition.
#2 – Take care of your stomach through massages and breathing
Mechanically activating transit can also help combat swelling and bloating. Stomach massages are , therefore, real allies in finding a flat and soothed stomach.
#3 – Practice physical activity
As explained previously, physical or sporting activity practiced in a moderate manner helps activate the digestive system. Indeed, the intestinal machinery is mainly made up of muscular tissue which notably allows the advancement of the food bolus throughout the digestive transit to allow good absorption of food and rapid elimination. Walking 30 minutes a day already helps activate the muscular system. In addition, strengthening your abdominal muscles using exercises such as core training helps increase intra-abdominal pressure and thus combat a bloated stomach.
#4 – Use herbal medicine
Certain plants and spices have real benefits on digestive transit. Indeed, carminative spices such as caraway, cumin, fennel, ginger, peppermint, star anise, thyme help fight against the accumulation of gas.
Consuming these spices through food supplements, infusions or essential oils helps to quickly deflate your stomach.
Likewise, vegetable charcoal is an excellent anti-spasmodic and has a detoxifying action on the digestive system.
Deflate your stomach quickly thanks to DIJO
At DIJO, and to make your life easier, we have developed food supplements bringing together different plants to quickly deflate your stomach and fight against bloating . Our 5-day reset brings together all the essential elements to allow you to fight against these inconveniences and thus regain intestinal serenity. Thanks to its concentrated formula, find a flat stomach in just 5 days thanks to the action of its 4 carminative and antispasmodic plants.
In addition, in the event of heavy meals, excess or difficult digestion, we have thought of everything and have developed our Light Digestion Pack , which brings together 2 treatments: the Essential probiotics and our Easy Digestion , a quick and effective option to allow you, thanks to probiotics and plants to balance your intestinal flora, deflate your stomach and thus find a peaceful mind.
Sources :
[1] Konturek, PC, Brzozowski, T., & Konturek, SJ (2011). Stress and the gut: pathophysiology, clinical consequences, diagnostic approach and treatment options. Journal of physiology and pharmacology: an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society, 62(6), 591–599.
[2] Pellissier, S., & Bonaz, B. (2017). The Place of Stress and Emotions in the Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Vitamins and hormones, 103, 327–354. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.vh.2016.09.005
[3] Lacy, BE, Gabbard, SL, & Crowell, MD (2011). Pathophysiology, evaluation, and treatment of bloating: hope, hype, or hot air?. Gastroenterology & hepatology, 7(11), 729–739.
[4] Buentzel, S.K., Huebner, J., Buentzel, J., & Micke, O. (2022). Medicinal Plants Used for Abdominal Discomfort - Information from Cancer Patients and Medical Students. In vivo (Athens, Greece), 36(5), 2422–2433. https://doi.org/10.21873/invivo.12976
