What's this
What is meteorism?
Functional meteorism or meteorism is one of the most common gastrointestinal symptoms.
Along with other symptoms such as flatulence and excessive eructations, and disorders of the alvo (diarrhea and especially constipation), it affects more than 10% of Italians.
Meteorism consists of the sensation of a swollen belly (abdominal swelling), due to the excess of gas in the gastric and / or intestinal area, often accompanied by objectively detectable spasms and abdominal distension. This swelling can vary during the day and is generally very sensitive to the type and quantity of food taken with the diet.
In the intestine, under normal conditions, there are about 100-150 ml of gas, with individual variations ranging from 30 to 200 ml. The most common components are: nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon monoxide and methane. The regulation of the amount of air present in the digestive tract takes place through different processes. The intestinal walls have, for example, the ability to reabsorb the gases that are produced inside the lumen, which are then released into the blood and eliminated with pulmonary ventilation. Even in physiological conditions, what remains is instead expelled with belching and flatulence - sometimes, the cause of the accumulation of gas lies precisely in the inefficiency of these two methods of expulsion. It is therefore logical to deduce that, as gas production increases, the importance of these two "emergency valves", which can prevent or alleviate meteorism and therefore the sensation of a swollen stomach or abdominal swelling, also increases.
There is no minimum limit to which the triggering of the symptomatology is attributed; the perception of a swollen belly is very subjective. Among the general population, some subjects produce and retain quantities of gas equal or greater than those who complain of meteorism, in the presence or not of objectively detectable spasms, pains and abdominal distension.
We learn to distinguish terminology
It is not uncommon for the terms meteorism, abdominal distension and abdominal bloating to be used as synonyms. In truth, there is a certain difference between the subjective perception of swelling and the actual presence of intra abdominal gases. Although uncomfortable, meteorism is more a sensation, therefore a symptom. Abdominal distension, on the other hand, is a clinical sign, detectable at the palpation of the doctor or instrumental analysis. Therefore, when one speaks generically of swelling, it would be better to specify if it is a sensation of one's own or an objectively measured aspect.
Causes
Causes of meteorism
When we feel, in an isolated manner, a swollen belly sensation associated with discomfort and sometimes pain, it could simply be bad digestion. On the other hand, at the origin of the problem there may be specific factors that affect the stomach or intestines.
The causes of meteorism can be of various types; paraphysiological, pathological, psychosomatic or behavioral.
The conditions that can lead to meteorism are in fact numerous:
Psychosomatic and behavioral causes of meteorism
- Emotional states: determine the massive release of catecholamines
- Aerophagy: excessive introduction of air especially during meals or while talking. At the base of this condition there are almost always bad hygienic-food habits - hasty meals, talking during the meal, chewing of gums, excess of carbonated drinks, etc.
Pathological causes of meteorism
- Syndromes and Pathologies:
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Bacterial contamination syndrome of the small intestine (see below)
- Other pathological conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, such as chronic inflammatory conditions such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease
- Reflex hypersensitivity or altered intestinal gas absorption: during certain liver and intestinal pathologies, for example, the normal absorption of gases and their transport in the circulatory stream is compromised, with consequent accumulation of air in the intestine
- Infections, parasitosis or pathogenic contamination: food poisoning, gastrointestinal viruses, protozoa, etc.
Paraphysiological causes of meteorism
- Presence of food intolerances: especially lactose intolerance, gluten (celiac disease)
- and histamine
Dietary causes of meteorism
- Diet-dependent alteration of physiological intestinal bacterial flora: excessive increase, abnormal decrease, change in bacterial species or their relationship, etc.
- Abuse of carbonated beverages or foods that contain air - whipped cream, packaged ice cream etc.
- Introduction of irritative food components for the intestinal mucosa: caffeine, theophylline, theobromine, alcohol, energy drink, osmotic laxatives etc.
- Introduction of foods or naturally indigestible factors that are then fermented by the intestinal bacterial flora: non-soluble components of dietary fiber, lactulose from hot milk, inverted starch, additives such as xylitol, mannitol and sorbitol, etc.
- Excessive intake of antinutritional agents, such as protease inhibitors, tannins, oxalates, phytates etc. - some are contained, for example, in the skin of legumes, in the bran of cereals, etc.
- Excessive fructose intake: too much fructose is a very frequent cause of meteorism. This is because, by metabolizing only a little at a time, the body reacts by decreasing intestinal absorption; what remains goes to the intestinal bacterial flora
- Excessive portions and over-abundant meals: the excess of nutrients inexorably causes a residue of energetic macronutrients that ends up being fed to the intestinal bacterial flora
- The picture gets worse if the foods are heavy and difficult to digest, such as fries and stews of fatty meat
- Food associations that slow down digestion, such as meat and cheese, eggs and pulses, etc. could participate in the aggravation
- Food composition inadequate to precarious intestinal conditions: for example, excess fiber or lactose following a gastro-enteritis.
Meteorism and bacterial contamination of the small intestine
The microorganisms that populate the colon can increase going to contaminate the small intestine where they accelerate the putrefactive and fermentative phenomena - to deepen, read: "Contamination Syndrome of Small Ten".
The results of these processes are the perception of abdominal swelling - what in medical terms is called meteorism - connected to objective abdominal distension and to the appearance of disturbances of the throat - diarrhea alternating with constipation. For this reason, very often our belly swells when we take too many carbohydrates, especially sweets and excess fruit.
The high-protein diets, very fashionable in recent years, can be effective precisely because they intervene on incorrect dietary habits, reducing the percentage of carbohydrates in the diet and limiting the activity of the fermenting flora. On the other hand, the opposite can also occur, or as a result of an unbalanced diet poor in fibers and prebiotics, a quantitative and compositional alteration of the physiological bacterial flora can occur. It is not common for this to cause meteorism, but it is easier for it to trigger excessively smelly flatulence and constipation.
Today there are very simple tests called "breath tests" that can diagnose the presence of an abnormal bacterial growth in the small intestine. The most common of these tests is called the glucose breath test: the patient is asked to take a certain amount of this sugar and the concentration of hydrogen in the breath is then recorded at pre-established time intervals.
The composition of the intestinal ecoflora is therefore very important and in the presence of swollen belly and meteorism it is necessary to go to rebalance it through dietary and therapeutic strategies.
To learn more: Combat Meteorism: Where to Start? »Drugs for the treatment of meteorism» Meteorism Diet: What to do? »Natural Remedies Against Meteorism» Remedies for Swollen Belly »
