What causes a swollen stomach?

Many people will have a swollen belly. In general, a swollen belly is caused by a digestive system disease, gastrointestinal discomfort, or irregular diet. Irregular diet may lead to a swollen belly. In some cases, abdominal swelling is caused by internal organs or diseases. For example, urine retention caused by renal failure or ascites caused by cirrhosis can also manifest as abdominal swelling. Next, we will analyze the specific causes of abdominal swelling in detail.

1. Swallowing too much gas

About 90% of intestinal gas is swallowed orally. A normal person swallows about 500 to 1000 cc of air every day. The main components of air are oxygen and nitrogen. When the human body swallows air into the small intestine, oxygen will be absorbed, while nitrogen goes to the large intestine and becomes the main component of intestinal gas. In many cases, the human body swallows air without realizing it, for example, when chewing gum, eating quickly, talking while eating, drinking carbonated beverages such as soda, cola, beer, or eating foods that easily produce gas. In addition, some people will swallow their saliva involuntarily when they are nervous. These factors will lead to an increase in intestinal gas.

2. The large intestine produces too much gas

The intestines produce gas due to intestinal motility disorders, which cause bacteria to over-ferment food and produce large amounts of gas; or because of problems with certain digestive enzymes in the intestines, which leads to indigestion of certain foods. The most common cause is "lactose intolerance", which means that the gastrointestinal tract cannot digest lactose. In this case, as long as you do not eat foods containing lactose, there will be no symptoms.

Excessive stomach acid can also cause bloating. Excess stomach acid and pancreatic juice in the stomach will produce carbon dioxide after neutralization, causing bloating and burping. In addition, if the anus is too tight, it will be difficult to pass gas, and chronic constipation will gradually cause abdominal bloating. We can analyze the cause of abdominal bloating by directly analyzing the gas content ratio in the body. If you swallow too much gas, the concentration of nitrogen and oxygen in the intestine will be higher. If the flatulence is caused by bacterial fermentation in the intestine, the concentration of hydrogen and oxygen in the intestine will be higher.

Foods that cause gas

Because the human body lacks enzymes to digest carbohydrates such as oligosaccharides and polysaccharides, after ingesting these foods, they are not digested in the small intestine, but are broken down and utilized by intestinal bacteria in the large intestine, which then produces a large amount of gas (carbon dioxide, hydrogen, methane). These "gas-producing foods" that may cause bloating include: beans, onions, eggplants, sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, citrus fruits, beverages and desserts with added sweeteners (sorbitol), etc.

Gas-producing food list

Food categories Gas-producing foods

Cereals: corn, potatoes, taro, sweet potatoes, potatoes, glutinous rice, brown rice, whole grains

Vegetables: onions, cauliflower, leeks, cabbage, cucumbers, radishes, eggplants, kale, kohlrabi,

Lentils, pickled cabbage, green onions

Fruits: Apple, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, apple juice

Beans: dried tofu, tofu, red beans, mung beans, soybeans, peanuts, peas

Dairy Milk, dairy products

Beverages: soda, Yakult, soy milk, cola

Other coffee, strong tea, chocolate, fried food, high-sugar desserts, pepper, spices