Dear CrazyMan,
Most people produce about 1-3 pints a day and pass gas about 14 times a day. Flatulence itself, although not life threatening, can definitely cause social embarrassment. This embarrassment is often the reason why you might seek medical help for excessive gas.
Carbohydrate, fat and protein are the chief ingredient of our food and they have to be broken down into small units in order to be absorbed from our intestine. Protein must be broken into its individual amino acids, fats must be broken into fatty acids, and carbohydrates (both simple and complex) must be broken into individual glucose (or equivalent) molecules.
Flatulence occurs when a food does not break down completely in the stomach and small intestine. As a result, the food makes it into the large intestine in an undigested state. For example, if you are "lactose intolerant," it means that you lack an enzyme (lactase) in your intestine - the enzyme that breaks lactose apart into two sugar molecules so they can enter the bloodstream. Without lactase, lactose passes undigested through the stomach and small intestine and arrives in the large intestine.
When lactose reached in the large intestine it is break down by billions of bacteria (the natural "intestinal fauna"), these bacteria digest lactose and during its digestion they produce a variety of gases such as methane, hydrogen and hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide is the source of the odor that you are complaining of its terrible smell you are talking about.
Intestinal gas is composed of 90% exogenous sources (air that is ingested through the nose and mouth) and 10% endogenous sources (gas produced within the digestive tract). The exogenous gases are swallowed (aerophagia) when eating or drinking or during times of excessive salivation (as might occur when nauseated or as the result of gastroesophageal reflux disease). The endogenous gases are produced as a by-product of digesting certain types of food.
The noises commonly associated with flatulence are caused by the vibration of the anus. The sound varies depending on the tightness of the sphincter muscle and velocity of the gas being propelled, as well as other factors such as water and body fat. The pitch of the flatulence outburst can also be affected by the anal embouchure. Among humans, sometimes farting happens accidentally, such as incidentally to coughing or sneezing; on other occasions, intentional farting occurs through the tensing and releasing of the anal sphincter.
Flatus is brought to the rectum in the same peristalsis method as feces, causing a similar feeling of urgency and discomfort. Nerve endings in the rectum learn to distinguish between flatus and feces, although loose stool can confuse these nerves, and sometimes results in accidental defecation.
Certain foods produce more flatulence than others because they contain more indigestible carbohydrates or related ingredients so avoid the following food items:
- Beans
- Vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, onions
- Fruits such as pears, apples, peaches
- Whole grains such as bran
- Soft drinks and fruit drinks
- Milk and milk products
- Packaged foods with lactose such as cereal and bread
- Dietetic foods,sugar-free candies, and gum containing sorbitol
Flatulence is most often related to diet, and sometimes to those habits that cause you to swallow air.
Since you said recently you developed increasing frequency of flatulence this might be related to your change in dietary habit. Experience has shown that the most common ways to reduce the discomfort of gas are changing diet, taking medicines, and reducing the amount of air swallowed. You can begin by trying to remove the problem foods from your diet. For many people, this is a trial-and-error procedure.
This may take some careful observation to notice what foods cause increased gas. Keep a food diary and note excess passage of gas. Any of the gas-producing foods can be removed from your diet one group at a time until you see relief.
If this method does not work, a more restrictive approach is to start with a very limited number of safe foods, and add one new food every 48 hours in order to determine what food or food group causes difficulty. If the offending food is found, then you can avoid eating that food or be prepared for its consequences.
If you suspect lactose intolerance is the problem, remove all dairy foods from your diet for 10-14 days to assess the effect on flatulence (using a diary).
In general, avoid overeating because this contributes to flatulence as well as obesity.
If the above measure doesn’t improve your symptoms as the previous users have suggested, please seek a gastroenterologist. I am not going to talk about medical treatment as we don’t have such policy to advice drug treatment online that is against our policy.
Hope this information helped you.
Help:Problem with farting -
21-12-2006, 10:49 PM
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