ArticlesTopic 04

Bloating & Digestion

The belly that grows all day, gas you’re hiding, constipation, and what’s really behind it.

234 articles

Bloating & DigestionEvidence check
Which Side Should You Sleep On for Acid Reflux? What Studies Show
If heartburn wakes you at night, the side you sleep on may matter. In an Amsterdam study that tracked 57 people's sleep position alongside acid monitoring, lying on the left side went with less acid in the esophagus and faster clearance than lying on the right or on the back. In a follow-up trial of 100 people, a wearable that buzzed when they rolled onto their right side helped 44%, against 24% with a sham. Here is what to try.
October 20262 min read
Bloating & DigestionChecklist
After Weight-Loss Surgery: Keep the Nutrition Follow-Up Arranged
Your ongoing appointments and vitamin checks belong in the plan after bariatric surgery, even when you feel well.
October 20262 min read
Bloating & DigestionEvidence check
Bloating Before Your Period, and in Perimenopause: What Studies Show
In a survey of 156 healthy women, 62% were bloated in the five days before their period and 51% during it, more than any other gut symptom asked about. In women with IBS, the gut becomes more sensitive during the period itself. A review links these flare-ups to falling estrogen and progesterone, which also happens in perimenopause. Here is what's known and when a monthly pattern needs a check.
October 20262 min read
Bloating & DigestionGuide
Can Carbonated Drinks Cause Bloating and Gas?
What fizzy drinks can contribute to burping, how sweeteners change the question, and what to record before blaming every sparkling drink.
October 20263 min read
Bloating & DigestionEvidence check
CBT for IBS by Phone or Online: What a 558-Person Trial Found
If IBS has lasted a year or more despite diet changes and medicines, therapy aimed at the gut can still help, and it doesn't have to be in an office. In the UK ACTIB trial, eight hours of phone CBT cut symptom scores by about 62 points at a year and 40 at two years. A web program with brief calls helped too, though its symptom gain faded by year two. Here is what was involved.
October 20262 min read
Bloating & DigestionConversation script
Known Cobalt Allergy? Discuss Your Prescribed B12 Treatment
Tell the prescriber about your allergy and ask for an individual treatment and reaction plan.
October 20262 min read
Bloating & DigestionEvidence check
Do Beans Make You Gassy? What Feeding Studies Found
Many people skip beans because they expect gas. In three US feeding studies where adults ate half a cup of beans daily for 8 to 12 weeks, fewer than half noticed more gas from pinto or baked beans in the first week, and only 19% with black-eyed peas. A Sheffield study measured that healthy people pass about 700 ml of gas a day on a diet with baked beans. Here is what the studies show and what helps.
October 20262 min read
Bloating & DigestionEvidence check
Do Toilet Footstools Help You Poop? What Two Studies Measured
A footstool that lifts your knees on the toilet is cheap and widely recommended. In a study of 52 healthy volunteers who logged 1,119 bowel movements, using one cut straining and made people more likely to feel fully emptied. Neither study tested people with long-term constipation, so here is what the numbers show and how to run your own two-week test.
October 20262 min read
Bloating & DigestionEvidence check
Does Exercise Help IBS? What a Walking Trial Found
In a Swedish trial of 102 people with IBS, about three-quarters of them women, a physiotherapist helped half of them move more for 12 weeks. Their symptom scores fell by 51 points, against 5 points for the group that kept their usual routine. Five years on, symptoms were still better than at the start, and walking was the most common activity. Here is what they did and how to try it.
October 20262 min read
Bloating & DigestionEvidence check
Does Holding In Your Poop Cause Constipation? What Studies Show
Busy days, shared bathrooms and travel make it tempting to hold it. In one experiment, 12 healthy men who deliberately held in bowel movements for a week went from about 9 a week to under 4, and the time food took to pass through nearly doubled. Health agencies list ignoring the urge as a cause of constipation. Here is what the study found, its limits, and a simple routine that works with your gut.
October 20262 min read
Bloating & DigestionQ&A
Femoral Hernia: Why Might Repair Be Recommended Promptly?
Ask your surgeon about the reason for repair and the approach proposed for your confirmed hernia.
October 20262 min read
Bloating & DigestionMyth buster
Food Smells Fine: Can That Override a Use-By Date?
Check the safety date and storage instructions rather than relying on a normal smell.
October 20262 min read

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