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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
You swallow air every time you eat or drink. You may also swallow air when you're nervous, eat too fast, chew gum or drink through a straw. Some of that air finds its way into your lower digestive tract. But most lower intestinal gas is produced when bacteria in your colon ferment carbohydrates that aren't digested in your small intestine.
Unfortunately, healthy foods — such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes (beans and peas) — are often the worst offenders. That's because these foods are high in fiber. Fiber has many health benefits, including keeping your digestive tract in good working order and regulating blood sugar and cholesterol levels. But fiber can also lead to the formation of gas. Fiber supplements containing psyllium, such as Metamucil, may cause such problems, especially if added to your diet too quickly. Carbonated beverages, such as soda and beer, also are causes of gas.
Other causes of excess gas include:
- Another health condition. Excess gas may be a symptom of a more serious chronic condition. Examples include diverticulitis or an inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.
- Antibiotics. In some cases of excess gas, antibiotic use may be a factor because antibiotics disrupt the normal bacterial flora in your bowel.
- Laxatives. Excessive use of laxatives also may contribute to problems with excess gas.
- Constipation. Constipation may make it difficult to pass gas, leading to bloating and discomfort.
- Food intolerances. If your gas and bloating occur mainly after eating dairy products, it may be because your body isn't able to break down the sugar (lactose) in dairy foods. Many people aren't able to process lactose efficiently after age 6, and even infants are sometimes lactose intolerant. Other food intolerances, especially to gluten — a protein found in wheat and some other grains — also can result in excess gas, diarrhea and even weight loss.
- Artificial additives. It's also possible that your system can't tolerate the artificial sweeteners sorbitol and mannitol found in some sugar-free foods, gums and candies. Many healthy people develop gas and diarrhea when they consume these sweeteners.
Anything that causes intestinal gas or is associated with constipation or diarrhea can lead to gas pains. These pains generally occur when gas builds up in your intestines and you're not able to expel it. Gas pains are usually intense, but brief. Once the gas is gone, your pain often disappears. The gas you pass is a combination of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane.
- Gas in the digestive tract. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gas. Accessed March 3, 2009.
- Belching, bloating and flatulence. American College of Gastroenterology. http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/gihealth/belching.asp. Accessed March 3, 2009.
- Villoria A, et al. Physical activity and intestinal gas clearance in patients with bloating. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2006;101:2552.
- Controlling intestinal gas. International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders. http://aboutincontinence.org/site/about-incontinence/treatment/gas. Accessed March 3, 2009.
- Abraczinskas D. Intestinal gas and bloating. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 3, 2009.
- Picco MF (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla. March 13, 2009.
