Like hundreds of thousands of people, you could be suffering from
stomach bloat, which can be triggered by anything from fluctuating hormones to
eating reheated pasta or bake potatoes
Sometimes it can be caused by an innocuous glass of water.
While most people's stomachs may swell just a couple of inches,
others' can double in girth in just one day, only to 'deflate' overnight until
the next attack
Often, bloating is caused by irritable bowel syndrome, a condition
that affects a staggering one in seven people (caused by an oversensitive gut,
it leads to problems with bowel function and can trigger bloating, as well as
cramps, constipation or diarrhea).
While most people’s stomachs may swell just a couple of inches,
others’ can actually double in girth in just one day, only to ‘deflate’
overnight until the next attack.
Causes
What triggers the bloating can vary widely — some patients
literally put food in their mouths of have a glass of water and their stomachs
will distend.
It also could be link to stress. Other peak periods of bloating
appear to coincide with meal times.
Someone could eat tomatoes one day and be fine, yet the same food
will cause them to bloat a day later.
The best thing is to look at it like a ‘points’ system, and you
have to reach 100 points before you bloat. Your stress that day might account
for 30 points and tomatoes 60. So you’ve not reached 100 and you’re fine. The
next day, you’ll eat tomatoes but stress might account for 70, pushing you into
the bloating zone.
