High Fiber Diet and Passing Gas Problems

Having a diet high in fiber can cause a person to pass gas more often. However, other types of carbohydrates may cause gas problems as well. This topic focuses on gas or flatulence caused by a diet high in fibers.

Gas is fairly common in people, which can be eliminated by burping or passing it through the rectum. Actually, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, most people produce about 1 to 4 pints each day and pass gas even up to 14 times a day.

People may feel uncomfortable or embarrassed thinking they pass gas too often or they have too much gas. Fact is, gas in the body is most often odorless. However, the unpleasant odor in flatulence is primarily caused by small amounts of sulfur released by bacteria that normally live in the large intestine.

Dietary fibers are natural substances found in plants, which the body cannot digest. It has two major types: the soluble and insoluble fibers. Soluble fibers are plant fibers that dissolve easily in water. This type of fiber can be found in oat bran, peas, beans, and various fruits, which takes on a gel-like appearance in the intestines. Once in the large intestine, soluble fibers are partly digested by bacteria, which produce gas.

Insoluble fibers typically pass through the digestive tract relatively unchanged. This type of fiber produces little amounts of gas. Common sources of insoluble fibers include whole grains, wheat bran and certain vegetables.

While there are many health benefits that dietary fibers can provide, it may cause problems to certain people who produce gas more often. Knowing which foods cause a person to pass gas more often is important. Keeping a diary of the foods and drinks that you take in can help. If certain foods make you produce more gas than others, you may want to avoid or limit intake of those certain foods. Effective changes in diet may depend on learning through trial and error. How much or amount of the offending foods one can handle should be considered.

If you are new to high fiber diets, you may want to consider taking fibers slowly or a little at a time to allow your digestive system to adapt to the new diet. Taking dietary fibers too much and too quickly can cause gas problems. In addition, increasing dietary fiber intake too quickly may cause bloating and abdominal cramping.

Sometimes, gas symptoms may be caused by other health problems in the digestive system as well. A health professional should be consulted so that other causes can be ruled out.

Sources:

Different Types of Dietary Fibers. Digestives System Disorders (DSD). Accessed: December 7, 2009

Dietary Fiber. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Accessed: December 7, 2009

Gas in the Digestive Tract. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. Accessed: December 7, 2009.