Paging Dr. Frischer: Gas
Everyone has gas. It can be uncomfortable and embarrassing, but not life threatening. Gas leaves our body by burping or by passing it through the rectum. Every day, most people produce one to four pints of gas, and pass gas about 14 times!
Some 99% of our gas is made up of odorless vapors of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen, and sometimes methane. However, bacteria in the large intestine release gases that contain sulfur, and have an unpleasant odor.
Gas in our digestive tract comes from two sources:
Swallowing air (Aerophagia): This is usually from eating or drinking rapidly, chewing gum, smoking, or even from wearing loose dentures. Most swallowed air leaves the stomach through belching. Any remaining gas is partially absorbed into the small intestine, with a small amount travelling to the large intestine to then be released through the rectum.
Breakdown of food: Some carbohydrates (sugar, starches, and fiber) are not digested or absorbed in the small intestine because of a lack of certain enzymes. The undigested or unabsorbed food then passes into the large intestine, where harmless bacteria break it down. This process produces hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and in about one-third of us, methane gases, which then get released through the rectum.
What foods tend to produce the most gas? Foods that contain raffinose (a sugar found in beans, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, asparagus and whole grains) are particularly notorious. Foods that contain lactose (milk, cheese, ice cream, as well as bread and cereal) are also gas producers for many. Foods that contain fructose (a sugar found in onions, artichokes, pears and wheat, as well as in some soft drinks and fruit drinks) can produce gas. Sorbitol, a sugar found naturally in fruits, also used as an artificial sweetener in many “diet” foods and sugar-free candies and gums, and can produce gas. Starches (potatoes, corn, noodles, and wheat) produce gas. Soluble fiber (oat bran, beans, peas, and most fruit) can produce gas, but insoluble fiber (wheat bran and some vegetables) passes essentially unchanged through the intestines and produces very little gas.
How is abdominal gas diagnosed? Symptoms include belching, flatulence, abdominal bloating, and sometimes abdominal pain. Your doctor would take a careful history and perhaps suggest the use of a food diary to help determine underlying causes, take X-rays, and possibly order a colonoscopy if there is pain without a clear cause. Abdominal gas is often the diagnosis after more serious diagnoses are ruled out.
The treatment for gas in the digestive tract depends on age, overall health, and medical history. It might be treated through making changes in diet and habits, such as slowing down when drinking and eating. A few examples of over-the-counter medications would include simethicone, which breaks down gas bubbles (Gas-X, Mylanta Gas), activated charcoal to bind to gases (CharcoCaps, Nature’s Way), and digestive enzymes (Beano for vegetables and grains, or Lactaid for dairy).
Please note that many gas-producing foods are quite healthful. I urge you to not avoid them entirely. Moderation, as in so many things, is key.