Why gases and flatulence appear
It is quite probable - in fact, it is almost totally certain - that at some point you have suffered their presence. That unpleasant feeling of having the abdomen swollen and full, with stitches that can sometimes be very painful. Are the gases or flatulence, which can be of gastric origin (that is, arise mainly in the stomach and are those that we eliminate by burping) or intestinal (what are medically known as intestinal gases, which tend to be expelled through the anal ).
In this sense, we must understand the aerophagia like the mixture of intestinal gases that are expelled through the anus, and that produce both the characteristic sound and smell. They are vulgarly known as farts, and can also be called by the name of flatulence.
The symptoms that cause gas and flatulence tend to be tremendously characteristic. In most cases, they cause swelling, stomach or intestinal inflammation, stomach and / or abdominal pain, a feeling of heaviness and often painful throbbing.
The main causes of gas and flatulence
Eat certain foods
Even if you do not believe it, there are certain foods that cause the appearance of gases, which are characterized by being very rich in complex carbohydrates (especially oligosaccharides such as inulin).
Oligosaccharides are complex carbohydrates resistant to digestion, so that they pass into the small intestine virtually unchanged. When they reach the large intestine, the bacteria present there feed on them producing an abundant amount of gases. It is the same as what happens with lactose intolerance, as we will see in a next section.
Among the foods that usually cause gases, we can mention the following:
- Foods rich in complex carbohydrates: beans, lentils, chickpeas, beans, corn, sweet potatoes and pasta.
- Vegetables: artichokes, cucumbers, radishes, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, onion, asparagus, green pepper and turnips.
- Fruits: pear, plums, apple and grapes.
- Mushrooms: mushrooms.
- Cereals: oatmeal
- Nuts: chestnuts and raisins.
- Fruit juices: juices with a lot of sugar content, like grape juice.
Lactose intolerance
It is considered one of the most common and habitual food intolerances. Lactose is a sugar found in all milk of mammals, commonly known as milk sugar.
When there is lactose intolerance there is not enough lactase (an enzyme produced in the small intestine) is not able to break all the lactose consumed, going to the large intestine digested partially or even undigested, where the bacteria present consume it and break it down, causing many gases.
Eat very fast
Eating too fast is another common cause that causes the appearance of gases. Why? Mainly because when eating fast we tend to swallow a greater amount of air.
In addition, when we eat in this way we not only overeat large quantities of food, but we also do not chew food correctly, so digestion suffers.
Nervousness, stress and anxiety
Anxiety, stress and nerves also cause gas, especially when we eat nervous. Why? Very simple: when we eat with some nervous tension we not only eat fast and we do not enjoy the food, we also eat badly and lead to our digestive system not doing good digestion.
In addition, it is very common that these nerves accumulate in the pit of the stomach, causing other related symptoms such as pain, burning, vomiting and nausea.
Some digestive and intestinal diseases
The truth is that not only our eating habits or for example suffering too much stress and anxiety influence the presence of gas in our stomach or in our intestines. Also determined digestive diseases and stomach disorders they can greatly influence it.
For example, it is the case of irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, diverticulitis or pancreas problems. They may also arise in the presence of problems with intestinal flora, either by the lack of digestive enzymes or by the lack of intestinal flora.
Images | ISTOCKPHOTO / THINKSTOCK This article is published for informational purposes only. It can not and should not replace the consultation with a Physician. We advise you to consult your Trusted Doctor. ThemesGastrointestinal disorders
