What are the leading causes of excessive flatulence and how to treat it? | Zyla Health
When you wake up in the morning, mostly your day is decided by how your bowel movements were. If you are constipated, bloated, or troubled with abdominal gas, your day automatically gets on with an off start.
Interestingly, it tells a lot about your health.
Do you think having excessive flatulence refers to any underlying disease? Not necessarily, because bloating is very common and can occur for several reasons like having heavy food, leaving long gaps between meals, swallowing air while eating, etc.
Did you know normally a person can pass gas 14 times a day and most of the time, you don’t even know it because it does not have any smell?
At times, the excessive flatulence might bother us so much that we might wonder why is it so much of a problem? Many of you might also have experienced discomfort or embarrassment. In this blog, we will discuss the various causes of excessive flatulence and how we can treat it.
What is flatulence?
Firstly, flatus or flatulence is nothing but abdominal gas released through your rectum (present in our intestine). On average normal people pass gas about 14 times a day. It can rise up to 25 and it is completely normal.
In general, the major gases in the flatus are nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and methane.
Usually, flatus has no smell and it occurs without your knowledge. When the flatus smells, there is a small amount of sulphur or related chemical components, which depends on the food you eat that causes that particular smell.
If you are someone who is looking for a way to improve your health, wait no more! Download the Zyla app now or visit our website, Zyla.in. We have a team of experts who are dedicated to improving your health round the clock.
Since we are done with flatulence basics, let’s jump to the causes of flatulence…
Causes of flatulence
As we saw earlier, there are a lot of factors that lead to flatulence. Let us discuss them in detail below.
1. Carbohydrate maldigestion
Indian cuisine is full of carbohydrates!
Gas and bloating are frequently related to the poor digestion and absorption of simple and complex carbohydrates that are present in your food.
Unabsorbed carbohydrates are transported to the colon (part of the intestine), where they act as a food source for harmless bacteria and release hydrogen gas.
Further on, in the colon, the breakdown of carbohydrates takes place through a process called “fermentation” which results in the production of gases (methane, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen). The production of these gases causes abdominal pain, bloating, and excessive flatulence.
Bran, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and beans are a few examples of such foods.
You might be aware that carbohydrates are also blamed for high blood sugar levels, but is that true? Find out the answer in our blog, “11 Diabetes myths and misconceptions”.
Did you know that there is another condition wherein a person cannot digest milk, cheese, etc? Because they lack the enzyme (lactase) needed to digest milk sugars. Due to this, they are unable to consume milk, some cheeses, or ice cream (lactose). This ailment is known as lactose intolerance.
2. Bacterial overgrowth in the intestine
In your intestine, there are normal bacteria that help in the digestion of your food. When the number of these bacteria increases, it’s termed “bacterial overgrowth” and leads to excessive flatulence. Please do not worry as this is not an illness.
If you are interested in learning the names of bacteria that are grown, do have a look below:
- Streptococcus
- Escherichia coli
- Lactobacillus
- Bacteroides
These species are the predominant organisms grown in the gut.
Bacterial overgrowth also results in poor absorption of nutrients, weight loss, and bone disease in addition to gas, bloating, diarrhoea, stomach pain, and nausea.
3. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
In IBS, usually bloating and flatulence are rated as the most annoying symptoms by many of IBS patients. An interesting fact is that stress can make IBS bloating and flatulence worse, while relaxation can make it go away.
Keeping a food journal to track your symptoms may be helpful because IBS affects everyone differently. Identifying the problematic foods will help you avoid them.
Foods with high dietary fibre such as beans, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are the main culprits.
4. Others
The majority of upper stomach air in healthy people comes through aerophagia i.e swallowing excess air while eating or talking. Gum chewing, smoking, or mouth discomfort can make aerophagia worse.
When even tiny amounts of air are swallowed along with food, liquids, and saliva, it builds up in the intestines and leads to flatulence.
You are now aware of the factors causing flatulence so from now on, you can closely watch your actions to know the causative agent of your flatulence. Moving on, let me tell you about some particular food products that lead to all this gastric trouble!…
Foods causing flatulence
Flatulence can be caused by various foods. Once you identify the culprit food(s), you need to limit or avoid it’s intake for relief.
1. Milk or milk products
You might remember reading a while ago that if you are lactose intolerant then milk, certain types of cheese or other products made of milk may cause flatulence issues.
2. Legumes
This food category includes beans, peas, chickpeas, nuts, soybean etc. If you find out that the cause of your flatulence is legume(s), then either you can avoid taking it in dinner or you can soak the legume(s) overnight before consuming it.
3. Vegetables
There are a few vegetables that cause abdominal gas issues which include: eggplant, carrot, onion, radish, cauliflower etc.
4. Fibre and husk supplement
Adding too much fibre to your diet suddenly may cause excessive flatulence. This may include isabhgol powder.
5. Carbonated drinks
These drinks are readily available in the market. Due to the presence of carbon dioxide, it can cause the stomach walls to stretch resulting in flatulence.
Before completely limiting food that causes flatulence, try to avoid self experimenting and the best thing to do is to seek advice from experts. At Zyla, we have a team of expert nutritionists and physical therapists and doctors expert in their field that will help you on every step of your journey.
Now, let’s move on and talk about some of the symptoms that you need to keep a check on to know that you are experiencing flatulence.
Symptoms with flatulence
When flatulence occurs excessively, you know, something is wrong. Excessive flatulence occurs with other symptoms like:
- Smelly or loud flatus
- Passing gas often
- Abdominal discomfort or tightness
- Feeling of fullness
- Belching or bloating
- Recurrent complaints of diarrhoea or constipation
Now that we have seen the causes of flatulence and what are the symptoms, we can further discuss excessive flatulence treatments…
Flatulence treatments
Treatment of excessive flatulence can be classified into three categories:
- Lifestyle modifications
- Home remedies
- Over-the-counter drugs
Let’s talk about these flatulence treatment categories in detail…
1. Lifestyle modifications
If you have a physically inactive lifestyle, where you are binge eating or eating junk foods a lot, it is most likely that you might have a flatulence problem. Excessive flatulence also may indicate IBS or other bowel disorders.
These are a few changes in your lifestyle, that you can start with today to manage excessive flatulence:
a. Exercise
Try to exercise regularly and take a 10–15 minutes walk after eating your main meals. This helps in the faster and better digestion of food and thus prevents flatulence.
To learn more about the benefits of exercise, check out The top 10 benefits of regular physical activity.
b. Small & frequent meals
Try to take small meals in regular intervals i.e. eat light breakfast, lunch and dinner along with some healthy snacks in between these main meals. Do not overeat at once.
This will help in keeping you energetic and avoid overeating which can further cause flatulence.
c. Avoid smoking
Smoking increases the amount of air you swallow. So, try to avoid or limit smoking.
d. Eating manners
Gulping can cause intake of extra air. So, eat slowly and chew your food completely instead of gulping it all at once.
A balanced diet is a key element in managing your health. Read how a simple balanced diet will help you conquer your health to understand more.
B. Home remedies
There are few home remedies that can help in the management of excessive flatulence. Some of them are mentioned below:
- Try taking ajwain ginger tea. You can add 1 tsp ajwain with 1-inch grated ginger (adrak) to a glass of water. Boil it for 2–3 minutes. Drink the water and chew the seeds. Ajwain helps in digestion problems including flatulence.
- Add mint (pudina) leaves to curd or buttermilk.
- Take enough fruits or salads between your main meals. This will keep up with the adequate fibre intake.
- Try to eat less fatty food, as it takes time to digest and causes indigestion.
For more such home remedies, you can watch one of our videos, “Home remedies for gas”. Do try these to know which one suits you best!
C. Over-the-counter drugs
There are certain over-the-counter medicines available for relief from flatulence. But it is best to discuss it with your doctor once before taking it. A few of them are mentioned below:
- Lactase supplements
In lactose intolerant patients, this can help in the digestion of milk and milk products.
- Simethicone
This is present in most anti-gas supplements available on the market.
Flatulence can be an embarrassing situation and is the most laughed at condition. In most cases, flatulence does not refer to anything serious, but if it is continuous and happens for a long time, it might be an indication of other underlying conditions such as IBS.
With proper lifestyle management, you can curb the flatulence issue and save yourselves from discomfort and distention. Home remedies and lifestyle changes are the best practices. If that doesn’t work, you can seek medical guidance.
If you want to lead a healthier life, it is important to improve your lifestyle. It might seem confusing as so much information is available on the internet. But remember, expert guidance is necessary and here, Zyla can help you!
At Zyla, we customise your health journey on the basis of your goals and needs with a team of experts. Your journey can be as smooth as butter! So download the Zyla app today or visit our website- Zyla.in for more information.
Stay strong! Stay healthy!
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