High Fiber Diet

Fiber and Gas

Everyone has intestinal gas and that is a good thing.  It means that bacteria, hopefully the good ones, are thriving.  The normal amount of flatus passed each day depends on sex and what is eaten.  The normal number of flatus is 10-20 times a day.  When the bacteria that make intestinal gases are growing, it also means that other good bacteria are using the same fibers to grow and produce multiple health benefits, including the production of healthy short-chain fatty acids.  These substances are produced quietly in the colon and produce many health-related outcomes.  

Soluble fiber should always be used in a gradual manner.  If too much is consumed at any one time, then excess, but harmless, intestinal gas can occur.  People with irritable bowel syndrome are particularly prone to bloating and mild cramping.  In this instance, soluble fiber in the diet or supplement should be used in small doses and increased gradually.

Finally, prebiotic fibers tend to cause the production of short-chain fatty acids which acidify the colon.  This, in turn, reduces or stops the growth of bacteria that make the smelly hydrogen sulfide gases that produce noxious flatus.  People who consume many vegetables with prebiotics or take a prebiotic fiber supplement often have non-odoriferous flatus.