# Intestinal gas production from bacterial fermentation



## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

FYI:Intestinal gas production from bacterial fermentation of undigested carbohydrate in irritable bowel syndrome. Haderstorfer B, Psycholgin D, Whitehead WE, Schuster MM Division of Digestive Diseases, Francis Scott Key Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland. The relationship between abdominal pain and bowel gas from bacterial fermentation of undigested carbohydrate was investigated in nine patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), six lactose malabsorbers, and 11 asymptomatic controls. All subjects took breath samples and marked analog scales for abdominal pain, bloating, and psychological stress hourly during all waking hours for 7 days. Breath samples were analyzed for hydrogen concentration within 3 days, and the concentration was corrected for storage time. Symptoms of pain and bloating were significantly more common in IBS patients than in lactose malabsorbers or normal controls, and pain was significantly correlated with bloating in IBS patients. Breath hydrogen concentration was similar in all three groups, and breath hydrogen was not correlated with pain ratings in IBS patients. Thus, abdominal pain may be related to bloating from gastrointestinal gas, but bacterial fermentation cannot be the cause of such gas. The most likely source is swallowed air. This study also demonstrates the feasibility of monitoring hydrogen production in the bowel in field studies by having subjects collect hourly breath samples.------------------ http://www.ibshealth.com/


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Thanks for posting this Eric. An interesting thing happened while I was in the hospital waiting for my ct scan. I heard the person who was reading one of the xrays (radiologist? Sorry, I don't know the term) say about the one he was looking at, "No wonder she has so much bloating and pain -- look at all the gas. She just has to stop swallowing so much air!" They weren't talking about me, by the way.I found that very interesting. Anyway, thanks for this article.







JeanG


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Jean, I wonder if the person had IBS.------------------ http://www.ibshealth.com/


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## Krissy (Jul 6, 2000)

Interesting Eric,and my X ray was normal gas which i could see the "black" on the picture but it was killing me. Krissy


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Hi Eric:That was my thought exactly! It was interesting to me because I knew what he was talking about. Also because it was confirmation that what we hear about "swallowed air" is true!







JeanG


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## babydoc_au (Jan 26, 2000)

As a "bloater" I have to pose the question - if it's just swallowed air, then why do we swallow so much damn air?!


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## flux (Dec 13, 1998)

> quote:As a "bloater" I have to pose the question - if it's just swallowed air, then why do we swallow so much damn air?!


Actually, they never established that these people had any more gas than anyone else. A more recent study (the one above is several years old), did find more gas inside IBSers, but it found it had nothing to do with their symptoms.Regardless, if it were air, then the answer would unclear.[This message has been edited by flux (edited 08-18-2000).]


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