Let's talk about gas ... (Part Two)

In my last post, we briefly reviewed some digestive biology, and we ended our journey on a smelly note. It is therefore natural to continue our exploration in the realm of gases on a more… acoustic note!

Why do farts emit sound?

The gases produced during food fermentation form bubbles which then travel into the gut to the sphincter. The latter serves as an exit gate, also known as the anus.

When gas bubbles pass this door, they make the muscles and skin present around the sphincter vibrating more or less strongly. That produces the characteristic sound of a fart.

These noises can be declined in sometimes quite detonating variations, depending on the size of the bubbles, the opening of the sphincter and the speed of the propelled gas.

If someone can produce a mathematical formula on it, I would be very curious to read it!!! Please share :p

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If farts are natural, why should we panic?

At some point, it is no longer farting that bothers us (remember, we evacuate on average between 12 and 25 of them by day), but the overproduction of gases accompanied by unpleasant sensations such as bloating and flatulence.

Not only people will look to us in a strange way (because we may emit sounds like an old car agonizing), but it is also not comfortable to have all that amount of gas stuck into the belly.

When it becomes recurring or problematic, necessarily, one starts to care.

But please do not panic! There are all kinds of reasons that can lead to an overproduction of gas. Let's look at a few of these causes... so that we may start considering fixing the issues.

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The most common causes for overproducing intestinal gases

In general, we can say that very often, we gave too much work to our sympathetic gut microbiota, or some works that it is not super pleased with.

Guilt nr. 1: unbalancing the microbiota

As a general rule, the microbiota remains fairly stable, depending on what one eats. However, its composition may be altered when one changes our eating habits, takes antibiotics or be sick. All these changes can be accompanied by an overproduction of gas, that consequently leads to the inconveniences above mentioned.

Guilt nr. 2: The food itself

Another cause concerns certain non-assimilable carbohydrate-rich foods such as sugars, fibers and starch or food rich in nitrogen (beans, cabbage, other starchy foods).

These are known to contribute to the overproduction of gases and / or the production of sulphides.

Guilt nr. 3: Bad habits

We are told since our childhood that we must take the time to eat and chew well, or that "swallowing" his/her meal is bad for our health. There are many reasons for this and one of those reasons is related to the topic of the day.

Insufficiently crushed foodstuffs during the mechanical digestion phase will require more work once they will reach the intestine. This is what happens to people who are used to eat too fast or that have bad teeth.

Eating too quickly can also lead to aerophagia, which involves swallowing air while eating.

If, in addition, the person is lying down after the meal, the air swallowed can no longer emerge from the top (belching) and must therefore ... get out from the bottom! By doing this, it yields some discomfort, notably by dilating the intestines and giving this disagreeable feeling of bloating.

Guilt nr. 4: Lactase deficiency

Some people are lactase-deficient, lactase being an enzyme that helps digesting and assimilating lactose, a sugar found in milk.

When such people consume milk or other dairy products, an important intestinal fermentation occurs, causing bloating, flatulence and even diarrheas.

Whereas this disorder is usually genetic, a similar phenomenon can be observed after a gastroenteritis: the cells that produce lactose have been damaged, and all the lactose present in the intestine has been "washed".

Guilt nr. 5: Constipation Problems

When stools spend more time in the intestine, they have more time to ferment and thus naturally produce more gas.

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WHAT ELSE?

Even if those inconveniences can be very unpleasant, there are some ways to ease the digestion and so, reduce the bloating and the flatulences.

• Take the time to chew well and eat slowly;

• Avoid too rich, too fat or too sweet meals;

• Avoid soft drinks and beer after meals; you may prefer chamomile, mint or fennel tea instead of coffee or normal tea.

• Take a walk after the meal to facilitate digestion (15 minutes)

• If some foods are more problematic than others (cabbage, beans,…), review some cooking tips for better digestion (blanching the cabbage, changing the cooking methods for the beans, ...)

• Prevent constipation by eating more fiber

If problems would persist, you now have two choices :

• Continue to organize fart contest with your friend (be very careful not to burn your gases: yes they are highly flammable and it is VERY dangerous...)
• Or talk to your doctor to try to solve the problem...

Have funny gases!

References: [1], [2]