Some yogurts have added fiber to promote digestive health. If you eat fiber yogurt and develop stomach cramps, you should stop consuming the yogurt and call your doctor for further evaluation. While eating too much fiber can cause stomach cramps, bloating and gas, it may actually be the milk in the yogurt that is responsible for your stomach cramps. Only your doctor can provide an accurate diagnosis of your condition. Do not modify your diet without first talking with your doctor.
Too Much Fiber
Not everyone's digestive system is the same. You may require more fiber daily than another person. "The New York Times" reports that eating too much fiber, however, will cause abdominal cramps, especially if you've recently increased the amount of fiber in your diet. If you want to increase the amount of fiber in your diet, you should do so slowly. Add 5 g daily until you reach your desired amount of daily fiber. Too much fiber can also cause some minerals to remain unabsorbed, leading to diarrhea.
Lactose Intolerance
Yogurt contains less lactose than most dairy products because the cultures in the yogurt convert the lactose in lactic acid, which is easily absorbed by the body. If you're severely lactose intolerant, however, you may develop stomach cramps within 30 minutes of eating yogurt. Lactose intolerance occurs because the small intestine doesn't produce enough lactase, the enzyme needed to digest lactose, a complex sugar primarily found in milk products. If you're lactose intolerant and you develop cramping after eating fiber yogurt, try taking a lactase supplement before the first bite of your next yogurt, to prevent symptoms.
Food Allergy
It's possible that you have a milk or grain allergy. Yogurt is made from milk and contains the proteins that trigger allergic reactions to dairy. Another consideration is the source of the fiber. The fiber additive is most likely from a grain. If you have a grain allergy, you will develop allergic symptoms within a few minutes of ingesting the fiber yogurt. Food allergies cause symptoms to develop in other parts of the body, aside from the gut. For example, you may become short of breath or lightheaded, and develop nasal congestion and hives on your skin.
Considerations
Stop eating fiber yogurt and try plain, low-fat yogurt instead; see if your symptoms persist. If you don't develop stomach cramps after eating plain yogurt, then the cause of the cramping is the fiber. If you still have cramping, you need to talk with your doctor. Some conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, can cause cramping after the ingestion of dairy products.
