Certain vitamins are touted for their bloat-busting capabilities, especially for women suffering symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or perimenopuase such as bloating. Not all vitamin remedies are proven scientifically, however, and some vitamins cause more harm than good if you take too much. If you want to try a vitamin supplement to combat bloat, discuss options with your doctor first.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is sometimes called the woman's "guardian angel" due to anecdotal evidence of its ability to help alleviate perimemopausal symptoms like bloating and water retention, notes "Before the Change" author Ann Louise Gittleman. This vitamin is believed to help balance your magnesium levels, increase synthesis of neurotransmitters like dopamine, reduce estrogen levels and inhibit prolactin secretion. Prolactin is your milk-stimulating hormone. Take your B6 along with the other B vitamins because these vitamins affect the metabolism and absorption of one another. Use a vitamin B complex that includes 50 to 100 mg vitamin B6, Gittleman recommends. Alternately, boost your intake of foods that contain B6. These include fortified cereals, bananas, baked potatoes, chicken breast and garbanzo beans.
Calcium
Taking calcium may help your body reduce bloat. During PMS calcium also may ease back pain and cramps. The experts at the Family Doctor website recommend taking 1,000 mg calcium daily. You absorb calcium best in doses of 500 mg at a time, so divide your dosage. Alternately, get your calcium from food. Choose low-fat dairy products and dark leafy greens like broccoli and kale, recommends Lori Rice, author of "The Everything Guide to Food Remedies."
Expert Insight
While vitamin B6 and calcium are both widely touted as bloat-busters, especially for women suffering PMS, no reliable scientific studies exist to back vitamin B6 as a remedy, according to Family Doctor. There is some scientific evidence that utilizing calcium works, and this vitamin will give you the bone-strengthening benefits as well, notes the website, which is maintained by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Considerations
Avoid taking megadoses of vitamin B6 because this can cause nerve damage, cautions "The American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide," by Roberta Larson Duyff. Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine sets the upper tolerable intake level, or UL, for vitamin B6 at 100 mg daily. The UL for calcium is 2,500 mg for adults ages 19 to 50 and 2,000 mg for adults older than 51. Too much calcium raises risk for kidney stones and constipation. Many other measures may be more effective than taking vitamins for combating bloat. These include eating a healthy diet that includes lots of fiber, eating six small meals daily instead of three large ones, cutting back on salt and exercising enough to sweat.
References
- "Before the Change"; Ann Louise Gittleman; 2004
- "The American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide"; Roberta Larson Duyff; 2006
- FamilyDoctor.org: PMS
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin B6
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Calcium
- "The Everything Guide to Food Remedies"; Lori Rice; 2011
Member Comments