Tag Archive for: flatulence

Let’s Clear the Air

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Among the nutrients that I use every day and recommend to everyone over 50 to delay muscle loss are essential amino acids (EAA), the amino acids that we can’t make ourselves. These are highest in the AAs that are used in muscle growth and repair: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. While the science shows that EAAs are beneficial, they can cause a serious issue: excess gas. As some of you have written to me about, it’s not just ordinary flatulence. Without being too rude, it’s the worst smelling gas one can imagine times 10.

I may have a solution—with the emphasis on may. In doing research for the new edition of Real-Life Detox, I found an article suggesting that the lack of stomach acid, called hypochlorhydria, may be the cause. Even though EAAs are in individual amino acids, they still must have enough stomach acid to chemically modify them for absorption. Fortunately, there appears to be a fix in the form of betaine hydrocholoride or betaine HCl for short.

I’ve used betaine HCl together with a digestive enzyme when I take my EAAs; I also take it when I’m going to eat meat in a meal. Even with a hiatal hernia, I haven’t had a problem with reflux since I’ve been doing it, and it reduced the gas production significantly.

I’ve got more research to do before I’m clear on amounts and timing, but for those of you who’ve had the gas issue with EAAs, help may be on the way. I know your inclination is to try something when it sounds helpful but, in this case, wait. There may be unintended consequences and as I said, this may be a solution—or it may not be. When I know more, so will you.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Integrative Medicine. 2020. 9(1):32-36.

Resolving Gas Problems

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Whatever the cause, the question is how you can control any issues you have with intestinal gas. Once you realize how probiotics do what they do, and by that I mean via fermentation with the resultant gas, there are several strategies you can use to deal with it.

Strategies for Gas

Digestive enzymes can often help if the culprit is a specific food. For many people, beans cause gas while for others, excess protein can do it. With so many people doing keto these days, gas can be a substantial problem for them.

The solution may be to use a multi-purpose digestive enzyme before eating food you know causes you issues. Beans are obvious, as is protein. But for those who are lactose intolerant, milk and cheese can cause issues. Cellulases, proteases, and a lactase can help digest those macronutrients. For carbohydrates such as grains, amylases can be helpful.

The next question is whether taking digestive enzymes help with gas caused by supplements or pharmaceuticals. I can’t answer that because there’s no evidence one way or the other. Because your body naturally releases digestive enzymes, it’s doubtful they’ll interfere with the processing of the medication or supplement. It could be that your body isn’t making enough digestive enzymes to fully break down the substance, so adding or changing a digestive enzyme supplement is worth a try.

The second approach would be to identify which foods cause you problems, and it may not be as obvious as beans or dairy. It could actually be a spice that reacts with the microbes in your microbiome, and that’s not always easy to identify. Some foods such as sugar alcohols that are often used as sweeteners in processed food can cause gas. Once you’ve discovered which foods cause problems, sometimes the best policy is to limit them or avoid them entirely.

The third approach goes hand in glove with the second and that’s to change your diet. Research continues to show that people who eat more plant-based foods have different and perhaps better functioning microbiomes than those who do not. That’s a tough sell in this keto world we live in, but the carbs a person eats should lean toward vegetables with some fruit rather than starchy vegetables and grains.

Finally, if you take a probiotic supplement, stop it for a couple of weeks and see what happens. Remember in Tuesday’s Memo, the excess gas stopped when the person stopped taking the probiotic. It may be that a different probiotic blend might work better. There are over 6,500 different microbes that have been identified, and it may take trial and error as well as newly developed probiotic blends before you get it right.

The Bottom Line

There are a couple of other things that can contribute to gas such as drinking carbonated beverages and simply swallowing too much air. For most people, it’s still an issue of fermentation in the microbiome. The best approach is trial and error until you get the diet, prebiotic, and probiotic in balance.

Unlike other health issues, excess gas can be uncomfortable and can result in embarrassing situations, but as long as you’re not standing next to a flame, shouldn’t be fatal.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

What Causes Increased Gas?

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Over the years, I’ve learned this about people as it relates to their health: they notice every change in their digestive system. They have their own bathroom habits, and they don’t like anything that changes their pattern. If they make a change in their nutritional intake—whether it’s a food, a supplement, or a medication—and it impacts their pattern, they really don’t like it. What’s not as noticeable immediately is another digestive change, and that’s an increase in gas.

In one case, a person developed an increase in gas production—and not in a good way; she stopped taking a probiotic (after regular use for a couple of years) and the problem stopped. Another person noticed an increase in gas after adding an amino acid blend. Yet another noticed an increase in gas after starting a medication. What gives?

The microbiome consists of the bacteria and other microbes that reside in the digestive system. The primary way they do what they do is by fermentation; the result is the production of gas, and that’s perfectly normal. Any change that impacts the microbiome can change the production of gas. Other than stopping the food, supplement, or medication, what can we do about it? I’ll give you some ideas on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet