Together with Miraco Nutripharm, let’s find out more about bloating in children and if too much CNY goodies could be the culprit this festive season.

Happy Chinese New Year and welcome back to the 2^nd session of the 4 weeks collaboration between BYKidO and Miraco Nutripharm! We will be covering a range of common gastrointestinal disorders:

• Abdominal Pain
• Bloating
• Constipation
• Diarrhea

With all the festive feasting, this 2nd session will look at bloating in children and how some of the CNY goodies could be the culprit this festive season.

What is Bloating?

Bloating is a condition where one’s belly feels full and tight after eating, often due to excessive gas but is rarely caused by serious health problems.¹ It may be because of something your child ate or drank.

Signs & Symptoms of Bloating

Bloating may be accompanied by other symptoms such as frequent burping, flatulence, abdominal discomfort, rumbling and gurgling in the abdomen.²

If your child experiences the following symptoms or characteristics, you should consider seeking medical attention^1,3:

• Unexplained weight loss
• Severe abdominal pain
• Blood in stools
• Loss of appetite or vomiting
• Unexplained fever

Source: comzeal / Adobe Stock

What are the Common Causes of Bloating⁴?

Bloating is usually caused by one of these sources: 1) excessive swallowing of air or 2) the breakdown of food by bacteria in the digestive system.

Naturally, air is swallowed when eating or drinking. However, during this festive season, the problem could be intensified as children gobble their food down to earn extra play time! This increases the amount of air swallowed, leading to bloatedness.

Certain of our food choices may also cause bloating as some foods are broken down poorly by our digestive system and may lead to the production of excessive gas.

Foods that may be difficult to digest include:

• Lactose – mostly present in dairy products such as milk and cheese
• Raffinose – can be found in beans, cabbage and broccoli
• Fructose – present in soda drinks
• Starch – found mostly in potatoes, corns and noodles

Apart from these foods, a high fat diet can also slow gastric emptying, leading to the accumulation of gas. Thus, fatty foods such as bak hwas (salty-sweet dried meat product) during CNY could be the culprit for a bloated stomach!

Other possible causes of bloating include gastrointestinal disorders such as constipation. Some children do not like to use toilets outside the comfort of their own home. Therefore, they may withhold their urge and this results in hardened stools, constipation and a bloated tummy.

Management of Bloating

Bloating can be managed with the following tips:

1. Parents can remind your child to eat at a controlled speed.
   Eating too quickly increases risks of swallowing more air while eating. Therefore, eating at a slow, controlled speed can minimize the risk of bloating.

2. Avoid or reduce trigger foods
   Keeping a food diary allows parents to identify foods that your child is intolerant to. Avoiding or reducing the intake of such foods in the future helps children to minimize bloatedness.

3. Clear bowels regularly
   If you notice that there is a tendency of your child to ignore his/her urge to use the toilet in other households, remind them to clear their bowels before leaving the house. Prolonged periods of holding their bowels results in drier stools that are more difficult to pass and this can cause your child to have a bloated tummy.

4. Maintain a healthy balanced diet
   We all understand that there is plenty of good food during this CNY season. However, parents still need to remind your child to eat in moderation and make healthier food choices. Soda drinks and food high in fats can increase the amount of gas in the tummy, leading to bloatedness. Always eat in moderation and try to avoid excessive eating to ensure that their digestive system is not overloaded.

5. Probiotics can also help with digestive symptoms related to bloatedness.
   Probiotics are live good bacteria that help with a wide range of gastrointestinal disorders such as constipation, diarrhea and bloatedness. They also help to maintain a healthy balance of intestinal flora to support a healthy digestive system.

Weekly Giveaway

As part of the collaboration between BYKidO & Miraco Nutripharm, we are currently giving away 3 sets of probiotics free each week – 1 full size bottle of BioDrop plus 1 full box of Pro-Gut™, worth $89.90, starting from 25^th January 2022 (Tues).

Simply register via the link below! Winners will be contacted via email or phone.

BYKidO x Miraco Giveaway | Miraco Nutripharm 

Stay tuned and see you next week for our 3^rd session on Constipation & tips on how to better manage it!

References

1. alberta.ca. 2022. Gas and Bloating in Children: Care Instructions. [online] Available at: <https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/aftercareinformation/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=bz1073> [Accessed 18 January 2022].
2. Abraczinskas D. Patient education: Gas and bloating (Beyond the Basics). In: UpToDate, Post, TW (Ed), UpToDate, Waltham, MA, 2021
3. Patient education: Gas and bloating (The Basics). In: UpToDate, Post, TW (Ed), UpToDate, Waltham, MA, 2021
4. eznetpublish.ihealthspot.com. 2022. Pediatrics - Gas and Bloating - Pediatrics – GI. [online] Available at: <http://meddb.eznetpublish.ihealthspot.com/Demos/MedicalLibrary/PediatricsGI/tabid/2594/ctl/View/mid/4515/Default.aspx?ContentPubID=373> [Accessed 18 January 2022].

Disclaimer: This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not provide or constitute any medical advice. You should not use the information for diagnosing or treating a health problem. All information stated in this article is accurate at time of publication and is subjected to change without notice. Miraco Nutripharm Pte Ltd will not be held accountable for the management of patients, including but not limited to their health outcomes.