Flatulence is normal but can be embarrassing. Foods like beans, onions, and dairy can cause it. To reduce it, try eliminating trigger foods or taking enzyme supplements. Eating slowly and avoiding carbonated drinks and gum can also help. If excessive flatulence is caused by a medical condition like celiac disease, a doctor should be consulted.
At some point during the day, everyone experiences flatulence. When a person digests food or swallows air, his body produces gas. Gas needs to leave the body at some point and usually comes out as flatulence or burping. While flatulence is normal, it can be embarrassing for some as it occasionally produces a very noticeable, unpleasant odor. A person can reduce flatulence by changing the types of foods he eats and how he eats them.
The small intestine is usually responsible for breaking down and absorbing the foods a person eats. Unfortunately, it can’t always break down some carbohydrates, including insoluble fiber and sugars like lactose and fructose, because they lack the enzymes needed to do so. One way to reduce flatulence is to eliminate these foods from your diet. Foods that can give a person problems include beans, onions, vegetables from the cabbage family, some fruits such as apples, and dairy products. Because the number of foods that contain fiber and sugar is large, it can be nearly impossible for a person to cut them all out of their diet.
One way to reduce flatulence without severely limiting a person’s diet is to find the foods that trigger their symptoms most often. For example, a person may cut onions from their diet and wait to see if symptoms subside. If you notice a decrease in symptoms, you can try eating onions again to see if your flatulence increases.
In some cases, a person can take an enzyme supplement to reduce flatulence. Supplements that contain lactase help people who are lactose intolerant digest milk and other dairy products more effectively. Other supplements contain enzymes to help people’s intestines break down the sugars found in beans and other vegetables.
Another way to reduce flatulence is to eat more slowly to reduce the amount of gas you swallow. A person may also want to pour their drinks, especially carbonated ones, into a glass so they may lose some of their fizz and some of their ability to cause gas. Cutting back on chewing gum can also help a person swallow less air.
If a person’s gas is caused by a condition or infection, they should see a doctor to determine the cause of their gas. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that can damage the small intestine and cause excessive flatulence in people. In this case, the body reacts to gluten, which is found in wheat. The disease is diagnosed by biopsy of the small intestine. To reduce flatulence and other effects of celiac disease, a person will need to eliminate all wheat products and all products that contain gluten from their diet.
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