Too Much Gas? Signs To Watch For

Author's Bio: Katie Bailey, MS, RD, LD, FNC

Hi everyone. Welcome back.

If you have ever felt extremely bloated or experienced excessive amounts of belching or flatulence, you are not alone. This is something that we see frequently in our clinic and it can be really uncomfortable and embarrassing for many individuals.

While some gas is a normal part of digestion, when do we need to start worrying about too much gas? Understanding the signs and symptoms of excessive gas can help us to determine next steps in finding relief.

So in today's video, I'll be discussing how is gas produced in our digestive system?

What signs should be watching for to determine if we're dealing with too much gas?

What can cause excessive gas symptoms?

And lastly, what can be done to improve your symptoms and relieve gas naturally?

Hi, I'm Katie Bailey. I'm a gut health dietitian at Oswald Digestive Clinic where we help individuals improve and resolve their bothersome gut issues.

If you're interested in learning more about gut health, I'll link our free guide Five Ways to Improve Your Gut Health here.

Alright, let's get started on today's topic.

[Video Transcript Below Video - it is the same information]

How is gas produced in our digestive system?

So gas production will occur either through swallowed air or when the bacteria in our large intestines break down certain foods that we consume. Now in regards to swallowed air, we all swallow a little bit of air when we eat or drink. Now some of that air is expelled through belching while the rest will move down into our intestines. The more air that you swallow, the more likely you're going to experience gas symptoms.

Now, ways in which you swallow more air include eating or drinking too fast, chewing gum, drinking through a straw, or consuming carbonated beverages. So like I mentioned before, another way that we produce gas in the digestive system is through the bacteria in our large intestines. So the large intestines contains trillions of different microorganisms that make up our gut microbiome. And these microorganisms play a crucial role in digestion by breaking down the carbohydrates that our stomach and small intestines don't fully digest.

And this process is called gut fermentation and gas is produced as a byproduct. Now, it's important to note that this is a normal process that occurs, but there are situations in which gas can become excessive.

Signs of Excessive Gas

Alright, so now let's talk about what signs we should be looking for to determine if we're dealing with excessive gas.

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Frequent belching

So the first is frequent belching. Now, occasional belching is normal, but when you're experiencing this frequently or excessively, that could be a sign that you have too much gas. Now this could be due to having swallowed too much air or if it's chronic could be point to a sign that you have something like gerd.

Frequent flatulence

The next is frequent flatulence. We know that normal daily gas is normal, and some say even 14 to 23 times a day is normal. But when it becomes more frequent than this, then it can be considered excessive.

Abdominal pain or discomfort

Next is abdominal pain or discomfort. So when gas is trapped either in the stomachs or stomach or the intestines, it can lead to a discomfort in the abdomen or even sharp pains.

Abdominal distension or bloating

Next is abdominal distension or bloating. So we see this a lot of times with conditions like IBS or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, which involves abnormal intestinal movements that can lead to a heightened sensitivity to gas.

Feeling of fullness or pressure in the abdomen

And then lastly, just a feeling of fullness or pressure in the abdomen. And this can be due to excess gas buildup.

Now these symptoms are usually persistent and can significantly impact an individual's daily life. And so when these symptoms are this severe or persistent or they're accompanied with other symptoms like changes in your bowel movements, nausea or vomiting or weight changes, it's a good indication that you are experiencing too much gas and you may need to look deeper into why that may be happening.

What can cause excessive gas symptoms?

So when gas becomes excessive and or involuntary, it may be a result of either too much gas formation or can be caused by other factors including decreased gut motility as that's going to lead to more trapped gas in the system. Poor digestion due to either low stomach acid or low enzyme production. Incomplete digestion, it's going to lead to more fermentation and gas production. Gut dysbiosis.

We know a healthy gut microbiome is important to help us break down the foods that our body cannot do. Food allergies or intolerances, malabsorption syndromes like celiac disease as that can lead to impaired digestion and nutrient absorption. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, also known as SIBO because these bacteria ferment the food that we and produce gas further up in the GI tract and the small intestines. And then lastly, just excessive consumption of gas producing foods like beans and legumes, cruciferous vegetables, onions, carbonated beverages, and sugar alcohols.

So what can be done to improve your symptoms and relieve gas naturally?

So the first thing that you want to do is to identify and address any underlying root causes. So for example, if you have food intolerances, avoiding that food for a little while might be helpful. There are certain foods that people have a hard time breaking down and there's multiple reasons for that, but it can contribute to those gas symptoms.

So temporarily removing those foods for a short period of time to provide relief while you are trying to determine why you're having the intolerance can be helpful. If you are experiencing SIBO or know that you have gut dysbiosis, then you may need to work with a practitioner that can help you remove the offending bacteria. If you have problems with digestion, you want to support digestion through enzymes or HCL. And lastly, just supporting your gut microbiome.

Now that can be done through foods. Incorporating more probiotic and prebiotic rich foods can be really helpful or determining what might be causing the problem together. Now, other strategies that can help produce less gas or help you relieve some gas would be to eat slower. So that can help to reduce the gases trapped in the stomach due to excessive swallowed air. Certain foods like ginger, ginger helps in aiding in digestion and can help reduce bloating. So adding that in can be helpful. You can add it to smoothies, soups, stir fries, you can even drink it as a tea. Fennel has also been used for centuries to help with gas and bloating, and this is usually found in tea form as well. You can add it to foods if you want to, but usually it's in tea form. Exercise can be helpful. So light physical activity like walking can help move gas down the digestive tract and help improve digestion.

Massaging the abdomen in a clockwise direction can be helpful to release some of that trapped gas. Now, depending on the severity of the gas, some of these suggestions may not work for you and you may need additional support or even the help of a practitioner to get to the root cause of why you're having it in the first place.

So to wrap up our topic for today,

Dealing with excessive gas and bloating can be frustrating, but understanding what signs to look for or what might be causing your symptoms can make a big difference in finally finding some relief. So if you're experiencing excessive belching or flatulence, bloating or distension or a feeling of fullness or pressure in your abdomen, then it may be time to look a little bit deeper into what might be causing your symptoms.

Now if you need help determining what might be the root cause of your specific symptoms, this would be something we'd be happy to help you with.

That's it for today's video. If you liked this video, please hit the like button and subscribe for more nutrition videos. I hope that you found this video to be helpful. And if you're interested in working with our clinic, you can click the link here to schedule an appointment. We do take insurance and you can find more information about that on our website.

Thank you for watching. I'll see you next time. Bye.

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If you'd like to explore any of this information further or obtain an individualized nutrition plan, you can schedule an initial appointment at our clinic. We also take insurance and some of our clients get full coverage, which is great.