Flatus - Facts And Causes

Facts

• Flatus is also known as passing gas, farting, flatulence and breaking wind.
• Intestinal gas is produced by bacteria in the colon and is made up of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and methane, all of which are odorless. That one-of-a-kind smell comes from trace gases such as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, indole, skatole and amino acid residues like putricine and cadaverine.
• Everybody passes gas, no exceptions.
• Air in the gastrointestinal tract must be released so the body does it wonder by burping or by passing gas through the anus while some of it gets absorbed into the blood stream and subsequently exhaled through the lungs.
• It is unwise to withhold the urge to release gas. Let it go, if not, that amount of gas gets absorbed into the blood stream and the liver will have to handle the recycled gas.
• Flatus usually follows just before (as if a reminder to move bowels) or in the mist of a bowel movement.
• Passing gas does occur when our bodies are relaxed e.g. in bed or in the bathtub.
• What kind of gas the body produces will tell how well the body’s digestive system is functioning.
• The higher the volume and pressure of the gas, the louder the sound.
• Foods that generate gas in one person may not have the same effect in another.

Causes

• Air (nitrogen and oxygen) swallowed (aerophagia) into the stomach while eating or drinking. It constitutes a small portion of gas.
• Bacteria acting on undigested food residues (such as fiber, sugar and starches) in the large bowel. However this is no excuse to abandon a high-fiber diet!
• Consuming food containing lactose (main sugar in milk). An enzyme called lactase helps to digest lactose but for folks who are lactose intolerant, there is a lack of this enzyme but the good news is the enzyme can be bought in liquid or tablet form. As we age, the amount of lactase decreases which could lead to more gas when we consume food with lactose.
• One the main substance responsible for generating gas in beans is a complex carbohydrate called oligosaccharide, a term joined by the words oligo (few) and saccharides (sugars). Raffinose and stachyose are the most talked-about oligosaccharides and germination has been found to significantly reduce their amounts in beans.
• Consuming fried foods, meats and antibiotics.
• Consuming a sudden increase of high-fiber foods.
• A condition called the iritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
• Constipation can also contribute to flatus since food residues still retained in the bowel get fermented by the bacteria and thus generate gas.
• Bloating of the abdomen in pregnant women.
• Chewing gum and smoking which encourage the production of saliva results in swallowing not just saliva but air as well.
• Other factors that can upset the digestive system, e.g. overeating, eating too fast, irregular meals, food allergens, tight-fitting clothings, anxiety and stress.
• Excessive flatus can also mean cancer, diverticulitis and a yeast problem.

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