To what degree can people control flatulence? This is a serious question that affects a relationship in which one partner believes the other is deliberately releasing gas.

Lyn

Flatulence is a result of the normal function of the lower digestive tract. About 15 times every day, the average person releases gas through the rectum, with the total volume ranging from about 500 to 1,500ml. This may seem like a large number of releases, but we often are not aware of the gas that we pass. So, to answer your question, everyone experiences flatulence and there is no way of avoiding it completely. However, there may be ways of reducing the quantity of gas and/or its odor.

Gas released from the lower digestive tract is composed mainly of the following five compounds: oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and methane. The first two gases come from the air we swallow when we eat or talk. The last three gases are produced by the body, either in the intestine or in the blood. Although these five gases account for 99 percent of the gas expelled via the rectum, none has any odor.

The foods most likely to produce gas are those high in fiber, starches or milk sugar (lactose). These types of foods are not easily broken down in the small intestine (where most of digestion occurs) and end up in the colon, where bacteria ferment them and gas is produced as a byproduct. Lowering your intake of beans, dairy products and other such foods may help reduce excessive gas.

The foul odor sometimes associated with flatulence comes from sulfur-containing gases present in small quantities in the colon. Meat products may increase sulfur concentrations in the colon, so cutting back on the amount of meat in your diet may improve the smell of the gas that you pass. Another solution may be to take odor-reducing medications, such as simethicone and activated charcoal. Most importantly, remember that it is normal to have flatulence and that diet is key to reducing most complaints associated with gas.