Decreasing salt intake could be an effective way to reduce abdominal bloating while allowing bloated people to maintain a healthy, fiber-rich diet.
According to a new analysis from the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension-Sodium (DASH-Sodium) study, high sodium intake is the main culprit of abdominal bloating.
The high-fiber DASH diet also increased bloating in participants in this trial compared to a low-fiber control diet, but this effect would be mostly dependent on the sodium content of the diet. It is likely that the high salt content modifies the intestinal fermentation of fibres. The study is published in theAmerican Journal of Gastroenterology.
A re-analysis of a large controlled trial
Scientists from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have re-analyzed data from a large clinical trial, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension-Sodium (DASH-Sodium) study, conducted 20 years ago, and sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Conducted at four clinical centers in 1998-1999, it compared the DASH diet, a high-fiber diet that is relatively low in fat and high in fruits, nuts and vegetables, to a low-fiber control diet.
Each of the two diets was tested with three sodium levels and all 412 participants were hypertensive at the start of the trial. The trial was set up primarily to determine the effect of dietary sodium and other factors on blood pressure, but it included data on bloating.
Major impact of sodium
Prior to the trial, 36.7% of participants reported abdominal bloating, which is more or less consistent with national surveys of bloating prevalence. The high-fiber DASH diet increased the risk of bloating by about 41% compared to the low-fiber control diet. Men are more sensitive to this effect than women.
But it also emerges that sodium is a greater risk factor for bloating. Combining data from DASH diets and control diets and comparing the highest versus lowest sodium intake, it appears that high-sodium versions of these diets overall increase the risk of bloating by approximately 27%. compared to low sodium versions.
Relative importance of fibers
Bloating is estimated to affect up to a third of all adults and more than 90% of those with irritable bowel syndrome. Bloating is characterized by the accumulation of excess gas in the intestine. Gas production can be attributed to gas-producing gut bacteria that break down fiber. There is also some evidence that sodium can stimulate bloating. This study is the first to examine sodium as a major cause of bloating in the context of low-fiber and high-fiber diets.
Bloating is one of the main digestive complaints and it can be increased by a high fiber diet in some people. These results suggest that these bloated people may be able to reduce their discomfort by reducing their salt intake, and therefore without compromising their fiber intake.
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