IBS is one of the causes of bloating. But it can also be caused by insufficient bile, so that fats are not properly digested. Or if you are eating new foods, your body has not developed sufficient enzymes to digest these newcomers, so the food hangs around in the gut for overlong and gases develop.

You may have tried probiotics. But according to the Glenn Gibson, professor of microbiology at Reading University, nearly 50 per cent of the probiotic yoghurts, powders and capsules sold in their millions every year simply do not have the minimum of 10 million bacteria per dose necessary to have any impact on our digestive systems.

There are a number of reasons. IBS is just one of the causes. Other sufferers may lack digestive enzymes, so the stomach doesn't empty fast enough. "You might notice that you're always bloated after eating one type of food, and this suggests that you aren't producing enough of the appropriate enzyme for that food," according to Dr Sarah Brewer in the Daily Telegraph. If you are not used to a particular food, you may well not have developed sufficient enzymes for that food. Soon however your body will be habituated and the bloating would stop. Dr Brewer considers that overeating is a main cause of bloating. That aside, lack of bile, which helps digest fats, can also be a problem. High levels of the hormone progesterone slow down the action of the bowel, which why premenstrual and pregnant women can suffer terrible constipation and bloating.

Some of us have tried probiotics. But according to Glenn Gibson, a professor of food microbiology at Reading University, nearly half the probiotic yoghurts, powders and capsules sold in their millions every year simply do not have the minimum of 10 million bacteria per dose necessary to have any impact on our digestive systems.