Does your fart stinks?

What is gas?

Flatulence is the state of having excessive stomach or intestinal gas. This can result in uncomfortable feelings of bloating, as well as increased burping or passing of gas from the rectum. Most people produce about 1-3 pints of gas a day, and pass gas about 14 times a day. So do not be shy if you happened to pass out some gas uncontrollably in a gathering.

History has numerous anecdotal accounts of flatulence, including Hippocrates himself professing, “Passing gas is necessary to well-being.” The Roman Emperor Claudius equally decreed that “all Roman citizens shall be allowed to pass gas whenever necessary.” Having said that, it is embarrassing if your gas stinks! This is the reason why people are seeking medical help.

Composition of gas

The primary components of gas are five odorless gases: nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methane and oxygen. The odor in smelly farts can be attributed to the presence of other gases such as sulfates - specifically hydrogen sulphur, methanethiol and dimethyl sulphur. For some people, the flatulence can be as bad as ‘rotten eggs’ or ‘decomposing vegetables’. For others, it can be ‘sweet and scented.’ The mix of gases can determine the odour and intensity. Women’s gas contains higher concentrations of hydrogen sulphur which gives off a bad odour than men.

About 90% of the food intake should be completely processed in the small intestine, with a higher percentage not treated likely due to a shortage or absence of certain enzymes there. An estimated 30-150 grams of this undigested food should reach the colon in the form of carbohydrate daily. At this last phase, the friendly bacteria takes over the task of breaking down the food, producing hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane in some cases before expelling out of the rectum.

Causes

+ Excessive gas in the digestive tract can occur with improper swallowing of air while eating or out of habit unconsciously. Activities that cause a person to swallow air include rapid drinking, chewing gum, use of tobacco products, sucking on hard candy, drinking carbonated beverages, loose dentures, and hyperventilation (rapid or deep breathing). Most people burp to expel this excess swallowed air. Any remaining gas moves through the small intestine to be expelled through the rectum.

+ When the gases remain in the digestive system for an extended period, the bacteria within the intestines begin to add sulfates to the gases. This adds a foul smell to an otherwise odorless gas.

+ When your intestinal bacteria breaks down fermentable fibers and undigested starches the gas byproducts take a back-door exit. Some trigger foods are as follows:

• Beans: Beans contain large amounts of the complex sugar known as raffinose. Smaller amounts are found in cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, asparagus and in other vegetables and whole grains.
• Starches: Most starches found in potatoes, corn, noodles and wheat produce gas when they are broken down in the large intestine. Rice is an exception that does not cause gas.
• Onions: The sugar known as fructose occurs naturally in onions, artichokes, pears and wheat. It is also used as a sweetener in some soft drinks and fruit beverages.
• Dark beer and red wine
• Sorbitol: This sugar is found naturally in fruits including apples, pears, peaches and prunes. It is commonly used as an artificial sweetener in sugar-free gum, candy and other diet products.
• Fiber: Many foods contain soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber found in oat bran, beans, peas and most fruits is not easily broken down but dissolves easily in water and takes on a soft, gel-like texture in the intestines. Upon reaching the large intestine, its digestion causes gas. On the other hand, insoluble fiber like wheat bran and some vegetables passes essentially unchanged through the intestines and produces little gas.
• Sulphur-releasing foods like eggs and broccoli are especially hard to break down.

 Fats and proteins are known to cause little gas. However for some individuals, consuming gluten-containing products such as rye, barley and wheat can cause gluten-intolerance and Celiac Disease, characterized by carbohydrate mal-absorption, vitamin deficiencies, severe abdominal pain or bloating.

+ A typical problem of most Asians is lactase deficiency, which results in a decreased ability to digest lactose, a natural sugar found in milk and other dairy products such as cheese, ice cream and in certain processed foods such as bread, cereal and salad dressing. As such, the leftovers remain undigested in the digestive system which are then acted upon by bacteria leading to smelly farts. 

Some of the symptoms associated with this condition include flatulence, bloating, watery diarrhea, cramping and loose stools. If you are suffering from lactase deficiency, you may either get rid of dairy products from your diet or take digestive enzymes to solve the problem. Note that aging causes a dip in enzyme levels and increasing amounts of gas after eating food containing lactose.

+ Other problems: Certain conditions can result in other foods being poorly absorbed in the GI tract, allowing for increased bacterial activity.

• Mal-absorption syndromes can be the result of decreased production of enzymes by the pancreas or problems with the gallbladder or lining of the intestines.
• If transit through the colon is slowed down for any reason, bacteria have increased opportunity to ferment remaining material. If a person is constipated or has decreased bowel function for any reason, flatulence can follow.
• While a small amount of yeast in the intestinal tract is normal, too much yeast can lead to some complications. For instance, Candida is a life-saving mechanism that is naturally present in the digestive tract. However, Candida can be stimulated, under certain conditions, to transform into harmful fungus. This fungus grows in the form of minute filaments, with the roots penetrating into body organs and tissues. If you are passing more gas than normally expected, you might be having an overgrowth of this yeast. 
• Change in bowel habit due to poor dietary fiber, drug medications, sickness, poor thyroid function.

Recommendations

+ Try a week of gas-free diet

-  Avoid plant food mentioned above
-  Take more meat, fish and easy-to-digest carbs eg. rice, gluten-free bread, tomato, lettuce, grapes, ginger, peppermint, cinnamon, cherries.
-  Reintroduce food avoided one by one to see which is the culprit.

+ Stop taking sugar alcohols

Three common sugar substitutes namely – sorbitol, mannitol and maltitol, always added into protein shakes and sugar-free gum, have been tweaked chemically so that they are not completely absorbed by the small intestine. It takes less than 10g of sorbitol to increase your gas output and risk of diarrhoea.

+ Increase intake of digestive enzymes

- A good formula contains few types of enzymes to help in breaking down complex carbohydrates into simple sugars. This allows better absorption in your small intestine where most of the foods should be processed. With less remnants to be treated at the colon, less gas is produced correspondingly.

- Friendly bacteria lining the gastrointestinal tract aids in the absorption of food and water. However, invasion by external bacteria, viruses and parasites can block this passage and cause diarrhoea. Thus, having adequate flora can prevent flatulence problem. You can observe that foods that produce gas in one person may not cause gas in another. Why? Some common bacteria in the large intestine can destroy the hydrogen that other bacteria produce. The balance of the two types of bacteria may explain why some people have more gas than others.

 

Whether you are prone to constipation or diarrhoea both conditions point to abnormal movement (too slow or too fast) of the intestines, which results in longer fermentation time and poorer indigestion respectively.

 

Research showed approximately 80% of the intestinal flora passes out with the stool each time. Thus constant replenishment is crucial for a healthy digestive system.

 

Close observation...

 

If it is accompanied by severe weight loss (more than 5% of your original weight in a month), stinky farts could point to mal-absorption of nutrients and/or coeliac disease, a severe form of gluten intolerance, where the immune system responds by damaging the lining of the intestines, according to the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

 

As the symptoms of coeliac disease are similar to a number of digestive tract conditions, consult a gastroenterologist (a doctor who specialises in digestive tract disorders) for a blood test or biopsy to diagnose the condition.

Let go the gas as and when is necessary.  By not doing so, it is reabsorbed into the bloodstream and the toxins may penetrate into our living cells and cause damage.

 

VIVA corner

Taking sufficient amount of prebiotics and probiotics daily is of paramount importance to a balanced and healthy gastrointestinal system. VIVA Floraguard is an enhanced formula that provides 10 billion CFU per serving of five strains of friendly bacteria that guard the entire gut. It contains prebiotics such as inulin, brewers' yeast and B complex to provide food source for the growth of probiotics. Most products in the market contain only probiotics that offer protection to the lower gut only.  As such it is capable of breaking up the bubbles and gases that built up in the entire digestive system.

For those with weak digestive system, add VIVA Nutrazyme where enzymes like lactose can help to break down milk sugar, and amalyse to break down carbohydrate into simple sugar in the stomach. This accelerated action assists in taking the workload off the small intestine.