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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, July 13, 2006

SHAPE UP
Gas to go? Avoid too much fiber

By Charles Stuart Platkin

GASSIEST FOODS

  • Legumes: beans, peas, lentils, soybeans.

  • Vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, green pepper, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, onions, leeks, artichokes and asparagus.

  • Fruits: pears, apples, avocados, bananas, melon and peaches, prunes and raisins.

  • Whole grains: whole wheat and bran. If wheat routinely causes increased gas, consideration should be given to the diagnosis of celiac disease, a wheat allergy that causes malabsorbtion in the small intestine with gas, diarrhea or constipation.

  • Soft drinks and fruit drinks.

  • Milk and milk products, such as ice cream, packaged foods prepared with lactose, such as bread and cereal.

  • Foods containing the artificial sweeteners sorbitol or mannitol, such as dietetic foods and sugar-free candies and gums

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    Questions about gas and food can be awkward. So I called the experts — gastroenterologists — for answers.

    Q. What makes a food gassy?

    A. Foods that contain carbohydrates can cause gas. Fiber, in particular, is a culprit, because it's not easily digested — especially when first introduced into your diet. Basically, undigested sugars pass into the colon unabsorbed, leading to gas. By contrast, fats and proteins cause little gas.

    However, according to Dr. Philip Jaffe, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center, "Any food that contains material which doesn't get broken down and absorbed in the small intestine can cause increased gas production."

    Some people have difficulty digesting certain foods. Partially digested food passes from the small intestine to the large intestine (colon). There, bacteria digest the food, leading to the production of gas (nitrogen, hydrogen, methane, carbon dioxide and others). In fact, humans aren't well-equipped to break down many plants; we don't have the enzymes for doing that.

    Q. Why do our bodies pass gas?

    A. Flatulence protects our bowels from becoming distended, which could cause us to blow up like a blimp. We become bloated when gas gets stuck behind a bowel obstruction, says Dr. Michael Levitt, a spokesman for the American Gastroenterological Association.

    Q. How and why do we burp?

    A. According to Jaffe, "Burping is triggered by distention (bloating or swelling) of the upper part of the stomach, leading to the regurgitation of gas from the stomach through the esophagus and then out through the mouth." He adds that it is an involuntary reflex, but once sensed, it can be controlled by not relaxing the upper esophageal sphincter valve and re-swallowing the air.

    Q. Is it normal to feel gassy all the time?

    A. "Most people — including women — pass flatus 10 to 20 times daily, between a pint and four pints a day," says Jaffe.

    Passing a lot of gas is nearly always normal but could also signal a malabsorption problem from certain foods. Feeling bloated after eating is usually normal as well, but may sometimes be an indication for disease.

    Q. What about gas pains?

    A. Most experts agree that eating too much fatty food can cause bloating and gas pains, mainly because the fat in your system slows down stomach emptying and, as a result, gas builds up. In terms of danger, a rule of thumb is that gas pains that are relieved by belching or flatulence probably aren't dangerous, says Jaffe.

    Q. Why does gas smell?

    A. The odor comes from bacteria in the large intestine, which produce small amounts of foul-smelling sulfur gases, says Dr. Patricia Raymond, a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology. "Foods such as meat, eggs and fish stimulate colonic bacteria to produce sulfur-containing gases," says Jaffe.

    Smelly belches are more likely "old food" in the stomach, which, Jaffe says, is typically a result of a problem with gastric emptying or a blockage of the gastric outlet. Conditions that could lead to this include diabetes mellitus and cancer.

    Q. Are there other causes of excess gas besides food?

    A. Food is the major cause, others include:

  • Swallowing air (chewing gum or eating hard candy, smoking).

  • Carbonated drinks.

  • Antibiotics.

  • Laxatives.

  • Irritable Bowl Syndrome.

    Q. How can we relieve gas?

  • Avoid milk and milk products if you have lactose intolerance — or take lactase pills.

  • Eat fewer gas-producing foods.

  • Walk, jog, do calisthenics and other exercise to stimulate the passage of gas.

    Q. How do over-the-counter products like Beano or charcoal work to stop flatulence?

    A. According to Jaffe, "None of these products has been scientifically proven to perform the job they claim to do. Beano contains digestive enzymes to break down the nonabsorbed starches in legumes: stachyose and raffinose. But a recent study showed it to be no better than a placebo. Charcoal products are supposed to deodorize flatus by absorbing the odoriferous constituent compounds, typically sulfur-containing molecules. They may be effective for some people, but this is hard to prove in clinical trials."

    Q. What does simethicone (Gas-X, Gelusil, Mylanta, Mylicon, etc.) do to help relieve gas?

    A. These products are designed to reduce the number of bubbles and help gas diffuse out of the GI tract into the bloodstream and be exhaled. "There's no scientific data that it helps," adds Jaffe.

    Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public-health advocate, and author of "Breaking the FAT Pattern" (Plume, 2006). Sign up for the free Diet Detective newsletter at www.dietdetective.com.