Dr. Oz 3 Causes of Toxic Bloating: Diverticulitis, Ovarian Cancer

All women have experienced bloating, but how do you know when bloating is toxic and a sign of a bad disease rather than just your period or some food that you ate?  Doctor Oz discussed 3 causes of toxic bloating including Diverticulitis, Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth and Ovarian Cancer.

To understand about bloating, Doctor Oz first explained what happens every time we eat.  Many people think that the acids in their stomach are the main part of the digestive process, but the majority of digestion occurs in the small intestine.  You have special enzymes in your small intestine that aid in your digestion of fats, proteins and sugars.  Anything that isn’t digested in the small intestine gets passed on to the large intestine or colon.  As the bacteria in your large intestine digest the leftover bits, they produce gas which makes your stomach feel bloated and makes cramps.  This means that if you eat a lot of ingredients that your body has difficulty digesting, like sorbitol or fructose, then your small intestine can’t digest it and your large intestine’s bacteria come into play and make your more bloated.  This type of bloating does not feel good (you feel bloated) nor does it help our pants to fit properly, but it is not toxic or deadly.  Dr. Robynne Chutkan, a  Gastroenterologist, said that you can also get bloating from a lack of excercise: “if you arent moving, neither are your bowels” which can cause bloating.  The following are Dr. Oz’s list of much more dangerous, toxic bloating causes.

Dr. Oz’s 3 Causes of Toxic Bloating

Toxic Bloating Cause 1: Diverticulitis

Sometimes when we go to the bathroom (and have a bowel movement), our large intestine’s lining gets pushed into forming little pockets or pouches, and this is what Diverticulosis is.  Diverticulosis is dangerous because if you get feces in these pockets in your large intestine’s lining, then you can get an infection which in turn can cause Diverticulitis.

Signs of Diverticulosis

– Difficulty going to the bathroom for a bowel movement

– When you do have a bowel movement, it is in the form of small pellet shaped feces

– Cramping in the bottom left section of your abdomen

– Bloating

Signs of Diverticulitis

– Very severe pain

– Bloating for several weeks in a row

– Blood in your stool

– Constipation

Toxic Bloating Cause 2: Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth

When your small intestine is healthy, like mentioned above, it helps you to absorb and extract the nutrients from what you eat.  The nutrient absorption process in the small intestine happens through villi (which look like tiny little fingers that stick out).  Bacteria is normally not in your small intestine, but if it somehow makes its way into your small intestine, then the bacteria can destroy your small intestine’s villi.  This in turns means that your food won’t get digested in your small intestine, and instead it will be digested by bacteria which will make you bloated and give you lots of cramping.  Your doctor can test for Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth through breath tests or by testing the liquid in your small intestine… unfortunately, many doctor’s aren’t familiar with Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth, so you may have to specifically bring this up with your doctor.  This is why is is so important to be an educated patient and to listen to Dr. Oz’s advice!

Signs of Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth

– Fatigue

– Bloating (especially after you eat)

Toxic Bloating Cause 3: Ovarian Cancer

Doctor Oz gave a shocking statistic: 1 in 40 cases of bloating turn out to be Ovarian Cancer.  It used to be that Ovarian Cancer was called the silent killer, but now we have heard several times on Dr. Oz’s show that Ovarian Cancer is the cancer that whispers… you have to pay close attention to catch Ovarian Cancer early, and the number one sign for catching Ovarian Cancer early is bloating.

Signs of Ovarian Cancer

– Major changes in your menstrual cycle

– Bloating that does not go away

– Bleeding after your menopause (postmenopausal bleeding)

– Rectal bleeding

– Frequent urination