Excessive Flatulence

Excessive flatulence is certainly not pleasant and can be embarrassing but it is everyone’s experience at some point, one way or another.

During digestion of foods- carbohydrates, fats and proteins we eat, part of these foods moves into large intestine in a half digested state and meets up with intestinal bacteria that produce gases such as hydrogen sulfide– the cause of bad smell.

Passing or breaking wind- flatulence is natural and an average person passes gas an average of eight to twenty times a day and anything up to 35-40 times is normal.

Excessive flatulence.. During digestion of foods- carbohydrates, fats and proteins we eat, part of this food moves into large intestine in and meets up with bacteria.

Causes of Excessive Flatulence:

• There is a long list of foods that cause flatulence and most of them happen to be good for you, so it may be a challenge to eliminate these foods without limiting your diet.

• Milk and milk products, apple, pear, peach, apricot, seeds, peas, garbanzos, beans, nuts, onion, garlic, cabbage, eggplant, brussel sprouts, carrot, broccoli, icecream, pasta, potatoes, whole wheat, asparagus and corn are examples of foods that may cause flatulence.

• Dietary fibre is an important part of healthy eating but it may create gas in your body, due to indigestible compounds it contains.

• Carbohydrates found in starchy foods– pasta, wheat, potatoes and oats can also cause flatulence to a lesser extent.

• Allergic reactions to dairy products and lactose intolerance can increase gas in your body by up to ten times.

• When you constantly overeat, your tummy will have to work faster than normal, trying to break down all the food that you don’t need, which usually leads to more wind.

• Each time you swallow, you take air into your stomach. The air normally leaves your body when you burp but it may move into the intestines and can only get out of your body by passing wind. Air swallowing is actually the most common cause of flatulence.

• Medical conditions such as diverculitis, thyroid malfunctioning, part blockage of the intestine, irritable bowel syndrome and coeliac disease are also among the potential causes of flatulence.

Milk and milk products, apple, pear, peach, apricot, seeds, peas, garbanzos, beans, nuts, onion, garlic, cabbage, eggplant, brussel sprouts, carrot, broccoli

Preventing and Treating Excessive Flatulence:

• If it is a medical condition that causes the flatulence, medication can be required to help treat the underlying health condition as well as the symptoms of flatulence.

• If you are not used to eating high fiber foods, try introducing thedietary fiber slowly into your diet, sudden increase may cause excessive gas.

• Reduce milk consumption if lactose tolerance is the case. Or you may want to add enzymes to milk in order to break down the lactose. Andyogurt, in general, produces less gas than milk as the lactose in it has already been broken down partially by friendly bacteria.

• Avoid eating foods that produce excess gas, eating and chewing slowly may also help.

• Digesting artificial sweeteners can be hard for many people and these are often used in sugar free drinks, gums and candies. Sugar is a better option when it comes to digestion and avoiding gas and diarrhea.

• Herbal teas such as mint, sage, anise tea, mate or green tea are commonly used to aid digestion and reducing gas. So herbal teas can be effective in avoiding excessive flatulence.

• If you have excessive flatulence, the problem can usually be controlled by making certain changes as above to your diet.

• Treatment can be necessary if the flatulence becomes severe or is also accompanied by other symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, constipation, weight loss, excessive mucus or bleeding from the anus. In that case, please seek advice from your doctor.

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Excessive Flatulence- References:

‘Gas in the Digestive Tract’: A publication of National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, part of the US National Institute of Health.

Rubin J. and J. Brasco, Restoring Your Digestive Health (2003).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatulence.

http://www.best-home-remedies.com/popular/ flatulence.htm.

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/ bhcarticles.nsf/pages/flatulence?open.

http://www.cks.nhs.uk/patient_information_leaflet/ flatulence.