The wellness world is awash with pills and potions promising to banish ‘bloat’. But do they work – and do we even need them in the first place?
Yet another advert for an anti-bloating health supplement has popped up on my Instagram feed. Like many others, it shows a skinny young woman furrowing her brow while patting her distended midriff. The intended optics seem to be that a subscription to this tastefully packaged product would restore one’s ability to wear a crop top and leggings without cause to frown.
While anyone with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or any other inflammatory gut conditions knows that bloating and its frequent bedfellow distension can feel far more unpleasant than this ad looks, the array of anti-bloat powders and pills jostling for attention on social media has ballooned. As public understanding of the vast influence of gut health has grown, so has the global market for digestive supplements, which is projected to be worth £24.3bn within a decade. But how can consumers possibly know if any of these concoctions of herbal remedies, digestive enzymes and live microbes will have a positive, negative or zero effect on their tummies?
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