Excessive Flatulence: Understand the Causes and Treatments

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Flatulence is the name given to the passage of gases from the intestine through the rectum.

It is important to note that all people pass gas and air throughout the day. An adult, for example, passes gas 8 to 20 times a day, often without even noticing the movement.

The act only becomes problematic when it occurs excessively frequently or causes pain.

Causes of excessive flatulence

As mentioned, people generally pass gas without noticing, and a case is only considered abnormal when it causes physical discomfort or occurs frequently enough to cause social embarrassment.

Excessive flatulence can have more than one cause and is most often related to very specific habits, such as:

• Eating foods that cause gas, such as cabbage, beans, dairy, eggs, broccoli, sweets, potatoes, and lentils;
• Taking protein supplements;
• Swallowing air while eating;
• Consuming large amounts of food at once;
• Chewing too quickly or with an open mouth, swallowing a lot of air;
• Being sedentary.

In addition, there are intestinal conditions, such as diarrhea, constipation, and malabsorption, that can also cause excessive flatulence.

What are the symptoms?

The main symptoms of excessive flatulence are: a sensation of frequent passage of gases out of the rectum and abdominal discomforts caused by the accumulation of these gases in the belly.

How is excessive flatulence diagnosed and treated?

Anyone who feels an abnormal frequency in the elimination of gases can seek a gastroenterologist to perform some clinical or blood tests and thus reach a diagnosis.

However, there is no reason to worry. Excessive flatulence does not indicate the presence of serious problems in the body nor does it require aggressive treatments. Initially, the doctor should identify the cause of the problem to then indicate what the patient needs to incorporate into their routine to avoid the accumulation of gases.

If excessive flatulence is being caused by diet, for example, it will be necessary to identify which foods are increasing gas production and avoid consuming them.

It is also advisable to perform tests, such as going periods without consuming gluten and lactose, to observe how the body behaves.

Recommendations and prevention

To prevent possible excessive flatulence crises, one should keep an eye on their diet. There are some habits that can be adopted to mitigate the problem. These include:

• Reducing the consumption of peas, lentils, beans, soy, and grains in general, as they tend to cause gases;
• Avoid talking too much during meals so that the amount of air ingested is not so high;
• Eating meals calmly, that is, chewing food well. Incorrect, hurried chewing without due attention hinders digestion, so the food stays longer than ideal in the intestine and causes gases;
• Consuming foods rich in fiber (oats, fruits, and vegetables) and drinking plenty of fluids to help intestinal transit;
• Being aware of the excessive consumption of foods that may be associated with the formation of gases in some people, such as flour, sweet potatoes, radishes, onions, eggplants, celery, and wheat germ.

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