Flatulence: What’s Normal, and What’s Not

“Passing gas” is a part of the digestion process. It is perfectly normal, and everybody does it.

Did you know most people pass gas five to fifteen times a day? If you feel like you’ve got more gas than others, or more than you used to, it might be important to find out what’s causing it. This is especially important if your gas is causing you pain or other discomfort.

Excess upper intestinal gas can result from swallowing more than a usual amount of air, overeating, smoking or chewing gum. Excess lower intestinal gas can be caused by eating too much of certain foods, by the inability to fully digest certain foods or by a disruption in the bacteria normally found in the colon.

Commonly known as farting, passing wind or having gas, flatulence is a medical term for releasing gas from the digestive system through the anus. It occurs when gas collects inside the digestive system, and is a normal process. Gas collects in two main ways. Swallowing air while you eat or drink can cause oxygen and nitrogen to collect in the digestive tract. Second, as you digest food, digestive gases such as hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide collect. Either method can cause flatulence.

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It’s natural to swallow air throughout the day, normally during eating and drinking. Typically, the human body only swallows a small amount of air. If you frequently swallow more air, you may find that you experience excessive flatulence. It may also cause burping.

Reasons that you may swallow more air than normal include:

• chewing gum
• smoking
• sucking on objects such as pen tops
• drinking carbonated drinks
• eating too quickly

Dietary choices can also lead to excessive flatulence. Some foods that increase gas include:

• beans
• cabbage
• broccoli
• raisins
• lentils
• prunes
• apples
• foods high in fructose or sorbitol, such as fruit juices

Foods can take a very long time to digest, leading to the unpleasant odor typically associated with flatulence. There are also some foods that the body cannot fully absorb. This means that they pass from the intestines to the colon without being fully digested.

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The colon contains a large amount of bacteria that then break down that food, releasing gases as they do so. The buildup of this gas causes flatulence. Excessive flatulence may further be due to a medical condition. Some potential conditions underlying flatulence range from temporary conditions, to digestive problems, and they include constipation, gastroenteritis, food intolerances, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, eating disorders and peptic ulcers.

Depending upon the cause of the problem, there are a number of ways to treat flatulence. To treat…

it at home, try the following:

• Examine your diet. If it contains a large amount of carbohydrates that are difficult to digest, try to replace them. Carbohydrates that are easier to digest, such as potatoes, rice and bananas, are good substitutes
• Keep a food diary. This will help you to identify any triggers. After you identify some foods that cause you excessive flatulence, you can learn to avoid them or to eat less of them
• Eat less, more. Try to eat around five-to-six smaller meals per day, instead of three larger ones to help your digestive process
• Chew properly. Avoid doing anything that may increase the amount of air that you swallow. This includes making sure that you’re chewing your food properly, and avoiding chewing gum or smoking
• Some people find that exercising helps to promote digestion and can prevent flatulence
• Try over-the-counter medications. These include charcoal tablets that absorb gas through the digestive system, antacids and dietary supplements such as alpha-galactosidase (brand named, Beano). It’s important to note that these medications will only temporarily provide relief.