gas and beans

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone;

We were discussing the problems related to beans the other day,

and then this arrived in my inbox. I thought there might be some

helpful tips here for those interested. For those of you who

aren't familiar with McDougall's program, it is low-fat vegan.

Deborah

 

 

Bad Farts? Meat Stinks!

 

2002 John McDougall

http://www.drmcdougall.com

 

By about the fourth day of each McDougall Live-in

Program participants have become close friends. As they loosen

up with each other they begin to discuss one noticeable side

effect of my diet. They make jokes, like, " When we walk, we

talk, " or " Have you heard a good McBugle lately? " I must admit

that one unavoidable change that comes with the diet I recommend

is the production of more bowel gas – but that’s not all bad as

you will learn when you read this article.

 

Intestinal gas, called flatus, when released from the

lower bowel can be a social problem. On the average gas is

passed 10 to 20 times a day, and the volume averages 3 ounces (90

ml) of gas per passage on the usual American diet (range from 17

to 375 ml).1 The average daily volume of flatus is 705 ml (24

ounces) (range of 476 to 1491 ml). At the very lower limit of

gas production, a liquid diet devoid of all complex sugars has

been found to produce an average of 1.5 flatus passages in 24

hours with a total output of 214 ml/24 hours.2 (Yes! Research

dollars actually are spent to study this.) You can safely assume

the upper levels in frequency and volume for anyone on the

McDougall Program.

 

Unfortunately, some people avoid a healthy

plant-based diet because they have discovered that all that fiber

found in plant-foods and especially beans, causes more gas, even

though they realize these same foods relieve constipation and

irritable bowel syndrome, and help prevent heart disease and

cancer. This is just another example of how our decisions about

the way others perceive us often are more important than

decisions for our health.

 

I submit two lines of defense for my Program: First,

when human beings were designed, millions of years ago, we lived

outdoors, with few confining walls – so bowel gas was

unnoticeably dispersed into thin air. Second, bowel gasses

produced from a plant-based diet are much less malodorous than

are those from a diet rich in animal products.

 

The Business of Flatology:

 

Flatus, more commonly known as farts, and delicately

referred to as “passing wind or gas,” is a source of discomfort

and embarrassment for many people, particularly women.3

Flatulence is the condition of the bowels being overdistended

with gas. Flatology is the scientific study of flatus. In order

to study flatus, dedicated men and women have tubes placed in

their rectums, attached to impermeable plastic bags, which they

wear all day long to collect the gas. The judges who personally

evaluate the odor of the gases with their noses must be

especially admired for their dedication to the science of

flatology (I’m serious).

 

Two Main Gas Sources:

 

1) Swallowed air. Aerophagia is the swallowing of

air and is usually followed by eructations (burping). For some

people the amount of gas swallowed can cause flatulence.

Swallowed air can be determined to be the source of the excess

bowel gas by finding a large amount of nitrogen in the flatus

sample. About 80% of air is nitrogen. Determining that the

excess bowel gas is due to swallowed air, rather than a problem

with the bowel itself, can save an expensive and uncomfortable

series of tests for the patient.

 

2) Bowel Produced Gas. The major source of gas in

the bowel for almost everyone is the normal metabolic activity of

colonic bacteria on our partially digested foodstuffs.

Carbohydrates that have not been absorbed by the processes of

normal digestion with enzymes in the small intestine are commonly

known as dietary fiber. These undigested fibers move into the

large intestine (colon) where bacteria break them down by the

process known as fermentation into a gaseous mixture consisting

primarily of: nitrogen (N2), oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2),

hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4). These gases are all odorless

and colorless. There are also small amounts of odoriferous

sulfur-containing substances produced, like hydrogen sulfide,

methanethiol, and dimethyl sulfide.

 

The most common source of undigested carbohydrate in

the American diet is lactose from dairy products, such as milk,

skim milk, and yogurt (cheeses contain little lactose). The

second leading gas-producing foods are legumes (beans, peas, and

lentils). Whether they are served as “beans with hot dogs,” or

in a “low-fat vegetarian chili,” legumes all cause gas because

they contain two relatively indigestible sugars, raffinose and

stachyose, that end up in the large intestine.

 

All unrefined plant foods, including grains, fruits,

and vegetables, contain undigestible fibers that end up being

fermented in the large intestine by bowel bacteria into odorless

gas. Refining grains into white flour and rice removes most of

the indigestible carbohydrates (dietary fiber). White rice has

been shown to be one complex carbohydrate that is nearly

completely absorbed by the small intestine resulting in almost no

indigestible carbohydrate for bacteria to turn into flatus.4

 

The Sulfur Stinks!

 

The offensive odors of flatus are caused by tiny

amounts of sulfur-containing gases. Sulfur gases are detected by

our noses in concentrations as low as 1 part in 100 million and

are often described as smelling like “rotten eggs.” This may or

may not surprise you, but the flatus from women was found to have

higher concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and greater odor

intensity than from men.5 In a scientific experiment on flatus,

odor was rated from 0 (no odor) to 8 (very offensive) by the

highly trained noses of two separate judges. Women were rated

with an average score of 5.45 and men an average of 3.95.

However, men passed higher volumes of gas than did women (119 ml

vs. 88 ml/passage). As a result the volume of sulfur gasses in

each passage did not differ between men and women.

 

To make odor matters worse, a large portion of the

sulfur that does not leave with the feces and flatus is absorbed

through the intestinal walls, into the blood stream where it is

excreted in the urine or into the breath and sweat as foul breath

and body odor.6 Body odor, as the perfume industry knows well,

is a primary source of communication between people, effecting

our emotions, and causing feelings of physical attraction (or

repulsion) and love.7

 

Animal Foods Produce Sulfur:

 

The main source of sulfur in the feces and intestinal

gas is from animal foods, and more specifically, the

sulfur-containing amino acids found in animal proteins. All

proteins in nature are made from the same 20 amino acids arranged

in different sequences – just as the 26 letters of the alphabet

make up all the words in a dictionary. Methionine, cysteine,

cystine, and taurine are the amino acids that contain sulfur in

their structure.

 

Small amounts of sulfur also come from additives and

vegetable foods. Inorganic sulfur, as sulfites, sulfur dioxide,

bisulfate, or metabisulfite, is used routinely in the

preservation of processed foods and beverages – like a common

practice in salad bars. Most vegetable foods are low in sulfur,

except for a few like garlic, broccoli and cauliflower.

 

The proof that animal products are the main source of

these offensive gases comes from an experiment on five healthy

men on 5 different diets for 10 days each.8 The meat intake

ranged from 0 grams/day to 600 grams/day (20 ounces). On the

vegetarian diet, 0.22 mmol/kg of fecal sulfur material (sulfides)

was detected and on the meat diet, 3.38 mmol/kg was found.

Therefore, more than 15 times more sulfur was produced with the

meat diet, than with the no-meat diet.

 

Animal products are the main sources of the

sulfur-containing amino acids.9 Compare the relative amounts of

methionine in these foods (based on calories):

 

· Beef provides 4 times more than pinto beans

 

· Eggs have 4 times more than corn

 

· Cheddar cheese has 5 times more than white

potatoes

 

· Chicken provides 7 times more than rice

 

· Tuna provides 12 times more than sweet

potatoes (Giving a whole new understanding of “fish farts.”)

 

Sulfur is Also Toxic:

 

The foul odors of sulfur gases should be a clear

message for the perpetrators that something is terribly wrong

down below and deserves our immediate attention. These

sulfur-containing gasses are extremely toxic to the tissues and

they may play a role in a life-threatening inflammatory bowel

disease, called ulcerative colitis.10-11

 

Levels as low as 0.5 – 1.0 mmol/L have shown

deleterious effects on the human colon.12 Therefore, small

amounts of beef (or the protein in any animal product) can

produce levels of sulfur known to be toxic to the cells of your

colon.

 

Gas Solutions:

 

For people following the McDougall Program,

adjustment to the new high-fiber foods occurs in time, and the

amount of gas produced diminishes in about 2 weeks. Much of this

adjustment comes as a result of changes in kinds and numbers of

bowel bacteria.13

 

Avoid Gassy Foods: Milk products are troublesome for

most non-Caucasian people (Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Indians,

Eskimos, etc.) who can't digest lactose; about 20% of Caucasians

also have this trouble. All legumes--beans, peas, lentils,

etc. – bother all races of people indiscriminately. You do not

need to consume beans on the McDougall diet – all the protein you

need comes from the other less gassy starches and vegetables you

may choose. Some individuals notice trouble with onions, bagels,

pretzels, prunes, apricots, cabbage, carrots, celery, green

peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, bananas, Brussels sprouts, and

wheat germ. But this list of offenders depends on personalized

sensitivities and, therefore, could incriminate almost any food.

 

Become a Pure Vegetarian: With the elimination of

all animal products the primary source of the offensive odors –

the sulfur-containing amino acids – is removed.8 Within a few

days you could change from “silent but deadly” to “still silent

but lightly fragrant.”

 

Thorough cooking: Almost everyone seems to have a

method of " de-gassing " beans. Many cooks claim to have inherited

the secret process from an authoritative grandmother. Thus, I've

heard some say " add potatoes to beans during cooking, " or " soak

beans first, then discard the rinse water. " Our personal

experience has been these methods are of no benefit. Soaking

helps, whether or not you discard the original rinse water,

simply because soaking starts the breakdown of the carbohydrates

and assists cooking. Thorough cooking helps by breaking down

indigestible complex carbohydrates into simpler, more digestible

forms. Even though cooking will break down many of the gas

forming complex carbohydrates found in grains and vegetables, the

ones in legumes are heat stable and resistant to cooking.14

However, germination (sprouting) for 1 to 4 days results in

utilization of the bulk of these legume sugars.15

 

Sprouting beans: One reliable way to " de-gas " legumes

is to sprout them first. Cover beans with water for 12 hours,

drain off water, lay damp paper towels on the bottom of a baking

dish, spread out beans on the moist towels in a single layer, and

then let them sprout for the next 12 hours. When you notice tiny

white shoots (1/16 " ) beginning to appear they are ready to cook.

The tiny plant is utilizing the indigestible sugars for growth.15

Needless to say, beans will take less time to cook after

sprouting.

 

Beano: A product on the market, Beano, in the form of

liquid drops and tablets, contains enzymes that are capable of

breaking down the indigestible sugars in beans, peas, and

lentils. You add a couple of drops to the first bite of food and

then you can eat the rest without the problem of bowel gas.16 (Or

so the label says ....)

 

Activated Charcoal: Activated charcoal has been used

to treat intestinal gas in India and Europe for many years, and

has only recently been gaining acceptance in the United States.

In the laboratory, activated charcoal was found to bind and

deactivate sulfur gases. Unfortunately, this benefit was not

found when human subjects were asked to take 0.5 grams of

activated charcoal four times a day.17-18 This failure is

probably because all of the active binding sites on the charcoal

are filled with substances in the feces long before the charcoal

reaches the large intestine where the sulfur gas is present.

 

Pepto-Bismol (Bismuth subsalicylate): Four

tablespoons (524 mg) four times a day for 3-7 days produced a

greater than 95% reduction in fecal hydrogen disulfide release.19

(Pepto-Bismol contains substances similar to aspirin which may

cause problems in those who have warnings to stay away from

aspirin.)

 

Avoid Medications: Acarbose for diabetes, and

lactulose for constipation can cause flatus because they cause an

increase in sugars in the large intestine. Many other

medications are also known to cause flatulence and therefore any

medication should be suspect if you notice a problem with excess

bowel gas after starting a new medication.

 

Probiotics: A change in the kinds of bacteria in the

large intestine – the intestinal microflora – can result in a

reduction in flatus. In a controlled study, volunteers with

irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), were fed a drink with

Lactobacillus plantarum – a friendly form of bowel bacteria – for

four weeks. Flatulence was rapidly and significantly reduced in

the test group compared with the placebo group (number of days

with abundant gas production was 6.5 before and 3.1 after the

intervention for the test group vs. 7.4 before and 5.6 after for

the placebo group).20

 

Antibiotics: Nonabsorbable antibiotics (like

Rifaximin) which kill the anaerobic gut bacteria can reduce the

amount of flatus and improve symptoms in very gassy people as a

last resort effort.21

 

My advice: Meat makes farts stink – become a pure

vegetarian. Gas is natural – have you ever ridden a horse? Enjoy

the gas. The horse seems to.

 

References:

 

1) Levitt M. The relation of passage of gas an

abdominal bloating to colonic gas production. Ann Intern Med.

1996 Feb 15;124(4):422-4.

 

2) Tomlin L. Investigation of normal flatus

production in healthy volunteers. Gut. 1991 Jun;32(6):665-9.

 

3) (For a complete discussion of flatus terminology

visit: http://www.sillyjokes.co.uk/fart_machine/fart_slang.html.)

 

4) Levitt M. H2 excretion after ingestion of

complex carbohydrates. Gastroenterology. 1987 Feb;92(2):383-9.

 

5) Suarez F. Identification of gases responsible

for the odour of human flatus and evaluation of a device

purported to reduce this odour. Gut. 1998 Jul;43(1):100-4.

 

6) Sabry ZI. Relationship of dietary intake of

sulphur amino-acids to urinary excretion of inorganic sulphate in

man. Nature. 1965 May 29;206(987):931-3.

 

7) Marchand S. Odors modulate pain perception. A

gender-specific effect.

Physiol Behav. 2002 Jun;76(2):251-6.

 

8) Magee EA. Contribution of dietary protein to

sulfide production in the large intestine: an in vitro and a

controlled feeding study in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000

Dec;72(6):1488-94.

 

9) J Pennington. Bowes & Church’s Food Values of

Portions Commonly Used. 17th Ed. Lippincott. Philadelphia- New

York. 1998.

 

10) Levine J. Fecal hydrogen sulfide production in

ulcerative colitis.

Am J Gastroenterol. 1998 Jan;93(1):83-7.

 

11) Roediger W. Sulphide impairment of substrate

oxidation in rat colonocytes: a biochemical basis for ulcerative

colitis? Clin Sci (Lond). 1993 Nov;85(5):623-7.

 

12) Christl S. Effect of sodium sulfide on cell

proliferation of colonic mucosa. Gastroenterology 1994; 106:A664

(abstr).

 

13) Gorbach SL. Bengt E. Gustafsson memorial

lecture. Function of the normal human microflora. Scand J Infect

Dis Suppl. 1986;49:17-30.

 

14) Oboh H. Effect of soaking, cooking and

germination on the oligosaccharide content of selected Nigerian

legume seeds. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2000;55(2):97-110.

 

15) East JW. Changes in stachyose, sucrose, and

monosaccharides during germination of soybeans. Crop Sci.

1972;12:7-9.

 

16) Ganiats TG. Does Beano prevent gas? A

double-blind crossover study of oral alpha-galactosidase to treat

dietary oligosaccharide intolerance. J Fam Pract. 1994

Nov;39(5):441-5.

 

17) Suarez F. Failure of activated charcoal to

reduce the release of gases produced by the colonic flora. Am J

Gastroenterol. 1999 Jan;94(1):208-12.

 

18) Potter T. Activated charcoal: in vivo and in

vitro studies of effect on gas formation.

Gastroenterology. 1985 Mar;88(3):620-4.

 

19) Suarez F. Bismuth subsalicylate markedly

decreases hydrogen sulfide release in the human colon.

Gastroenterology. 1998 May;114(5):923-9.

 

20) Nobaek S. Alteration of intestinal microflora

is associated with reduction in abdominal bloating and pain in

patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Am J Gastroenterol. 2000

May;95(5):1231-8.

 

21) Stefano M. Non-absorbable antibiotics for

managing intestinal gas production and gas-related symptoms.

Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2000 Aug;14(8):1001-8.

 

Some web sites to expand your understanding of

flatus:http://www.heptune.com/farts.html

http://users.utu.fi/s/snapir/fart/