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Bloating is often described as a stretched, puffy and uncomfortable feeling in your stomach.

Dr Ayesha Akbar, consultant gastroenterologist, The Princess Grace Hospital, London, UK explains that in some cases, your tummy can feel rock-hard and look swollen in appearance.

"Most people will have bouts of bloating fairly regularly," she says. "There can be a number of factors and triggers that cause this."

Although it's hard to assess the extent of bloating, the condition is certainly commonplace. You might feel bloated after a big weekend of eating - such as over the festive period - and the gassiness will eventually ease by itself. In these cases. There is little to worry about, beyond being temporarily unable to zip up your jeans.

Dietary factors

If you have persistent bloating, the most likely cause is diet. If you've ruled out the obvious - having eaten too much in one sitting, or eaten too quickly - it's possible you have a food intolerance or allergy and have consumed something that doesn't agree with you.

Although everybody is different, the two food groups most liable to lead to bloating are dairy products and foods containing gluten. In these cases, your bowel might not be emptying properly, or too much wind might be being produced in reaction to the food.

Akbar says that even people who have not been diagnosed as being intolerant to dairy or have an autoimmune condition which causes their body to react to gluten (celiaki) can often have sensitivity to these foods, and feel bloated after eating them.

Akbar adds that several other food types can be a bloating trigger - most notably, the kinds that are notorious for causing you to fart. For instance, if you're feeling bloated after Christmas dinner, you might be able to blame the Brussels sprouts along with the overindulgence.

"I always recommend to my patients that they should reduce the amount of foods they are eating which are known to cause too much farting and burping," she advises.

An imbalance in your gut bacteria - which help you digest food - can also lead to bloating. Several trials have shown that some probiotics and prebiotics can help improve bloating.

Another common cause of bloating is förstoppning, which can lead to a hard feeling in the stomach.

Bloating can be made worse by lack of sleep, and by stress and dehydration, and is a sign of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). It can also come about when you've taken in too much air. In this case, cutting down on chewing gum and fizzy drinks ought to help.

Akbar recommends sitting down to eat, and avoiding talking while eating.

Possible medical reasons

Less commonly, bloating may point to a number of medical conditions.

Very rarely, persistent bloating - sometimes along with a feeling of fullness, and needing to pee more - can be a symptom of äggstockscancer. This disease is most likely to develop in women over 55 but can affect younger women, and is often diagnosed late, due to low awareness of the symptoms.

Pinpointing the cause

More often than not, though, the cause will be something much less serious.

As Akbar explains, if a medical professional is looking to identify the root cause of your bloating, they will ask you a few key questions.

"They are likely to ask questions around how often bloating is happening, how long the bloating typically lasts for, and if there are any lifestyle changes, dietary changes or medicine that help to improve the condition," she says. "They may also ask if you are having any unusual symptoms or changes in going to the toilet, which could help to find what's causing your bloating."

Once the cause of your bloating is confirmed, it should be much easier to find ways to ease it. Most of the time it can be redressed through lifestyle changes and it poses no real cause for concern.