Everyone farts, but for some people, flatulence is more of a problem, causing pain and discomfort. Until now, it has been difficult to know what is normal and how much gas is produced in the intestines. Researchers have had to rely on the individual's memory, which is unreliable. In addition, people miss the gases released during sleep.
Almost 60 times
To get closer to the truth, researchers at the University of Maryland have developed a type of smart underwear with a small sensor that measures the emissions of hydrogen gas produced by microbes in the gut. In a study published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics: X, the researchers found that healthy people pass gas an average of 32 times per day, significantly more than the 14 times previously considered normal. But how often people pass gas varies - between 4 and 59 times per day.
The study included only 19 participants and the researchers now want to collect larger amounts of data to create a form of Fisatlas, the “Human Flatus Atlas”, where volunteers wear their underwear for three days and simultaneously photograph and describe what they eat. By combining sensor data with analyses of stool samples, the researchers hope to crack the code for how diet and probiotics affect gut health at an individual level.
Three types
The researchers describe it as a blood glucose meter, but for hydrogen gas.
"If we are going to know what is abnormal, we need to know what is normal," says Brantley Hall, one of the researchers behind the study, in a press release.
They have so far identified three types:
Zen Digesters: People who eat a high-fiber diet (25-38 grams daily) and still rarely pass gas.
Hydrogen super producers: People who, simply put, pass gas frequently.
Normal people: People who fall somewhere between the two groups above.
Petra Hedbom/TT
Facts: Gas in the stomach
TT
Everyone has gas in their stomach and intestines. Gas is made up of air that you swallow or that is formed in the large intestine when your body breaks down food and drink. Having gas can make your stomach swell and hurt, but it is usually not harmful and is rarely due to a serious illness.
Gas can collect anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract.
The amount of gas in the gastrointestinal tract is increased by foods that contain large amounts of fiber or indigestible carbohydrates such as fructose and the sweetener sorbitol.
Here are examples of foods that can cause more gas in the gastrointestinal tract:
Cabbage and other brassicas such as Brussels sprouts and cauliflower; peas, beans and lentils; and onions.
Products sweetened with certain sweeteners.
Milk and cream if you are lactose intolerant.
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