Let it rip. Eating slow-release carbs and cutting down on protein may prevent rotten-egg farts according to a report of the gases emitted by human faeces samples .
Farts are largely composed of odorless gases. There is oxygen and nitrogen from swallowed air, while hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide are produced when bacteria in the bombastic intestine ferment the carbohydrates we eat .
The distinctive rotten-egg puff is caused by traces of hydrogen sulfide, which gut bacteria are known to produce from protein. In addition to causing red-face moments, this gas can exacerbate incendiary intestine disease and increase the risk of intestine cancer. This prompted Chu Yao at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and her colleagues to investigate how unlike foods affect the amount of hydrogen sulfide is produced in the gut.
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Protein vs carbs
Examining the faeces from seven healthy people, the team found that mixing it with cysteine – a major sulphur-containing component of kernel, eggs, dairy and other types of protein – caused hydrogen sulfide emissions from intestine bacteria to increase more than septuple .
“ This explains why bodybuilders who consume lots of protein powder are known to have fetid farts, ” says Yao .
But hydrogen sulfide production declined well when the team mixed the faeces with four slowly absorbed carbohydrates. These excrete through the small intestine without being fully digested, and are then fermented by bacteria in the large intestine.
Two of these carbs – immune starch, which is found in potatoes, bananas, legumes and cereals, and fructans, which are found in wheat, artichokes and asparagus – both reduced hydrogen sulfide production by about 75 per penny. These foods are highly fermentable, meaning they are preferentially broken down ahead of protein, Yao says. “ The concentrate is taken away from the protein, then hydrogen sulfide is not produced. ”
Bad farter? Try eating more of these
- Potatoes
- Bananas
- Legumes
- Cereals
- Wheat
- Artichokes
- Asparagus
The other two carbs that decreased hydrogen sulfide emissions were fleawort and sterculia, but entirely by 25 per cent. These two forms of dietary fibre are ailing fermentable, but can mop up rotten-egg gas as they soak up water and swell in size .
Backfiring advice
The team ’ south findings, presented at the annual scientific meet of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia in Adelaide on Tuesday, overturn conventional wisdom of solomon that people with icky gas should eat less fiber .
People with excessive flatulence are much advised to avoid fiber to reduce how much hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide are produced by bacterial agitation. however, this may increase hydrogen sulfide emissions, which are more likely to clear the room than the three odorless gases, Yao says .
The team ’ randomness findings are reproducible with research showing that high fibre intake increases people ’ randomness fart product but not the immanent olfactory property. rosemary Stanton at the University of New South Wales, Australia, who conducted this survey, says there is no good reason for self-conscious farters to avoid character .
“ When we dug down, it wasn ’ t the dissemble of farting that worry people, it was the smell, ” she says. “ But the concern thing is that there are all these people walking around constipated because they are besides scar to eat character in case they do a bad fart. ”
Yao ’ s team now plans to test whether getting people to eat only little amounts of protein and lots of slow-release carbs can prevent rotten-egg farts in both healthy volunteers and people with incendiary intestine disease .
Read more : Farting 101 : The questions you ’ re besides embarrass to ask
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