Delayed gastric emptying can be a result of surgery, diabetes, infection and other causes.
Bloating, stomach discomfort, feeling full after eating just a small amount of food might indicate that your stomach is taking too long to empty after you eat, especially solids. This condition of delayed stomach emptying — called gastroparesis — can lead to problems with getting enough calories or controlling blood sugar.
Gastroparesis may be caused by a number of factors, including abdominal or esophageal surgery (including procedures like gastrectomy, roux-en-Y and pancreatectomy), gastrointestinal disorders or viral infections. Sometimes the cause is unknown, and the condition is called idiopathic gastroparesis. However, the most common cause of gastroparesis is diabetes.
How gastroparesis happens
Gastroparesis occurs when the vagus nerve, which controls the movement of food from the stomach through the digestive system, is damaged, causing the muscles of the stomach and intestine to not work properly. Symptoms of delayed gastric emptying may include bloating, stomach discomfort, feeling full after eating only a small amount of food, and even nausea or vomiting.
If you are experiencing these symptoms, talk to your physician, as they may recommend that you undergo a gastric emptying study for a definitive diagnosis. For this test, you’ll consume a meal, usually using a low-fat egg substitute (like Egg Beaters) that is labeled with a radioisotope, and scans will determine how long it takes for your stomach to empty. Normally, your stomach contents are at 60% or less two hours after a meal, and completely empty (or close to it) four hours after a meal. Gastroparesis is indicated if your stomach contents are greater than 60% at two hours or 10% at four hours.
Tips to improve digestion and ease symptoms
If you have diabetes in addition to gastroparesis, controlling your blood glucose is very important. Well-controlled glucose will help your stomach empty and prevent wide fluctuations in blood sugar levels and unexpected after-meal low blood sugar levels. Food modifications also may help your stomach to empty faster and control symptoms. Try these strategies:
- Eat smaller, more frequent meals, such as four to six small meals throughout the day.
- Choose low-fat and low-fiber foods. Fat appears to be linked to causing slower gastric emptying. However, fats in liquids are usually well tolerated and can help provide needed calories.
- Chew foods well before swallowing.
- Sit upright while eating and after meals. Avoid lying down for three to four hours to avoid acid reflux.
- Take a walk after meals. Exercise has been shown to help increase gastric emptying.
- Avoid alcohol, smoking, caffeine, acidic, spicy or fried foods, and carbonated beverages. (This will help with bloating or reflux, too.)
- Avoid taking fiber supplements or fiber bulking agents for constipation.
- Limit fluids at meals. Fluids can take up room in the stomach and might limit taking in enough calories. Instead, eat protein-rich foods first and drink fluids with calories. It may be better to have fluids after the meal and drink more between meals.
If you continue to experience symptoms of delayed gastric emptying, talk with your provider to determine if medications are needed to help your stomach empty faster.
Have more questions?
Our clinical dietitians are credentialed as Registered Dietitians and are an important part of your interdisciplinary medical team.
Learn more
FAQs
Delayed gastric emptying can be a result of surgery, diabetes, infection and other causes. Bloating, stomach discomfort, feeling full after eating just a small amount of food might indicate that your stomach is taking too long to empty after you eat, especially solids.
What causes feeling full quickly? ›
The most frequent cause of early satiety is a condition called gastroparesis. When your stomach is working right, it contracts to crush food, which it then sends to your intestines. But with gastroparesis, your stomach can't contract like it should, so food builds up there instead.
Why does it take so much for me to get full? ›
Some causes for constant hunger include eating behaviors, not eating enough protein or healthy fats, long-term stress, frequently burning more calories than you consume, taking certain medication, and having an underlying medical condition.
Why do I keep getting so full? ›
Feeling full after eating a big meal is to be expected, but a stomach that feels uncomfortably full and tight often – or for no clear reason – could indicate a more serious underlying condition, such as gastroparesis. Other chronic reasons you may feel full eating small amounts include: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
How do I stop getting full so fast? ›
Below are some recommendations that may be helpful for managing your symptoms.
- Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day.
- Avoid foods and actions that may cause gas or bloating.
- Drink liquids between meals rather than during meals.
- Keep your head up after meals.
Bloating feels like an overfull sensation in your stomach, almost as if you've just eaten a full meal and couldn't possibly eat another bite. However, for some patients, this “full” feeling occurs when they haven't even eaten a thing. Bloating is actually gas trapped in the GI tract.
Why am I digesting food so fast? ›
Overview. Dumping syndrome is a condition in which food, especially food high in sugar, moves from your stomach into your small bowel too quickly after you eat. Sometimes called rapid gastric emptying, dumping syndrome most often occurs as a result of surgery on your stomach or esophagus.
What is it called when you get full fast? ›
Early satiety occurs when you are unable to eat a full meal, or you feel very full after eating only a small amount of food. Early satiety is usually caused by gastroparesis, a condition in which your stomach is slow to empty. Other causes of early satiety include: An obstruction.
Why do I still feel hungry after eating? ›
You may feel hungry after eating due to a lack of protein or fiber in your diet, not eating enough high volume foods, hormone issues like leptin resistance, or behavioral and lifestyle choices. Try implementing some of the suggestions above.
How do I fix brain hunger? ›
5 Best Ways to Control Your Hunger and Suppress Appetite
- Use protein as a hunger-buster. ...
- Fill yourself up with watery, high-fiber foods. ...
- Exercise can help control hunger. ...
- Drink fluids to help you feel less hungry. ...
- Eating small, frequent meals can help curb your appetite.
A stomach that feels full often or for no apparent reason could signal an underlying condition, such as gastroparesis. A doctor can diagnose the underlying cause and recommend the most suitable treatment.
How do I stop my stomach from being full? ›
What should I do after overeating?
- Take a walk. Getting moderate exercise can help reduce gas and regulate your blood sugar.
- Stay hydrated. ...
- Herbal teas, like peppermint, chamomile and ginger can help with digestion and reduce gas.
- Taking an over-the-counter antacid may help relieve heartburn or indigestion.
Whole, unprocessed foods that are high in protein and fiber will generally leave you more sated, which means you feel full for a longer period of time. Some of the most filling foods include boiled potatoes, oatmeal, eggs, fish, Greek yogurt, and popcorn.
Why am I suddenly full so easily? ›
Feeling full after eating very little
Possible causes of early satiety include gastroesophageal reflux disease, commonly known as GERD, and peptic ulcers. In some cases, a more serious problem — such as stomach cancer — could be a factor.
Why do I feel full after eating a small amount of food? ›
Early satiety is the inability to eat a full meal or feeling full after only a small amount of food. This is most likely due to gastroparesis, a condition in which the stomach is slow to empty.
How to empty your stomach fast? ›
From Fuel to Stool: 5 Tips to Speed Up Digestion
- Exercise for 30 minutes a day. Food and digested material is moved through the body by a series of muscle contractions. ...
- Eat more fiber. ...
- Eat yogurt. ...
- Eat less meat. ...
- Drink more water.
You may feel hungry after eating due to a lack of protein or fiber in your diet, not eating enough high volume foods, hormone issues like leptin resistance, or behavioral and lifestyle choices.
Why do I feel so full and bloated after eating? ›
When you overeat and consume large amounts of food in one sitting, your stomach stretches to accommodate the extra volume. As your stomach stretches, it increases the pressure in your abdomen, leading to bloat.
What are the stages of gastroparesis? ›
According to Dr. Gluckman, there are three stages of gastroparesis: “There's mild, moderate, and severe. And that's based on the severity of the symptoms, the degree of slowness that the stomach empties, and some of the complications a patient might have.”
Why do I feel heavy after eating? ›
Due to our dietary habits, the lack of a balanced diet, and eating quickly or excessively, this problem has become very common. The stomach does not easily process unhealthy foods. If you eat meals that are high in fat or condiments, or desserts full of refined sugar, you may consequently feel “heavy” or “bloated”.
