Foods that produce gas
1982
Levitt, Michael D.
Diet can influence the presence of gas in the gut through ingestion of foods that contain gas, that are acidic before or during digestion, or that provide substrate for bacterial fermentation reactions which yield hydrogen or carbon dioxide. Symptoms which patients attribute to excess stomach gas may be a result of repeated swallowing or aspiration of air into the esophagus or an irritable colon. Foods that are sources of bacterial gas formation must be fermentable and incompletely absorbed in the small intestine. The gas-forming ability of foods can be tested by measuring pulmonary hydrogen excretion after ingestion of a test food. Specific foods most likely to increase hydrogen production in normal subjects are baked beans; white, whole wheat, and oat flours; and potatoes. Subjects with gastrointestinal disorders such as lactose intolerance may malabsorb carbohydrates resulting in excess gas production in the colon. (ds)
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