Those little rumbles -- when is it a worry?
WIND
PAssING wind is a normal bodily function, albeit an embarrassing one. On average, we pass wind 15 times a day; but up to 40 times a day is considered normal, according to the experts.
Flatus (gas) is a combination of swallowed air — from chewing gum, sucking sweets and eating and drinking at the same time — and gas produced by bacteria in the gut. The main gases are nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and methane, which have no odour — the ‘rotten egg smell’ is caused by hydrogen sulphide.
excess wind can be caused by diet products such as sugar-free chewing gum, because of the artificial sweeteners; laxatives; fruit juice and foods containing the sugar fructose; and drugs such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NsAIDs) used to treat arthritis.
It can also be a symptom of bowel conditions including irritable bowel syndrome (IBs, see back page), coeliac disease and lactose intolerance.
You can experiment with your diet to cut down on some of the most wind-inducing foods.
According to st Mark’s Hospital, a specialist tertiary bowel hospital in Harrow, you should avoid these foods to reduce wind production: beans, peas, lentils and other pulses, bran cereal, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots and broccoli, radishes , eggs, shellfish, milk and milk products, muesli, jacket potato skins, leeks , swedes, parsnips, onions and dried fruits.
Caffeine can also increase bowel movements, possibly because of its stimulating effect on the colon muscles, and produce more wind.
‘ Your doctors may want to investigate whether your wind is a symptom of IBs, lactose intolerance or coeliac disease if you have other symptoms that suggest this,’ says gastroenterologist Professor Julian Walters.
‘They may also prescribe the anti- spasmodic spasmonal or colpermin [containing peppermint oil] to relieve cramps.’
RUMBLING
THAT embarrassing rumbling, gurgling noise your stomach makes has a medical name — borborygmi. Rest assured it will sound louder to you than anyone else. It’s caused by the movement of gas, food and liquid in the intestines as the muscles propel them down through the gut — called peristalsis. Until recently it’s been considered normal and not a medical condition. But now researchers at the University of Western Australia’s Marshall Centre, who invented an acoustic belt that listens to and records gut noises, have found a link between noisy rumblings and some gut diseases. ‘It may be a sign of incomplete digestion of food and a build-up of gas if accompanied by other symptoms such as bloating, pain and diarrhoea,’ says Professor Walters. This may be a symptom of conditions such as lactose intolerance or coeliac disease. Borborygmi doesn’t generally need treatment, but if there are other symptoms such as bloating, pain and diarrhoea, see a doctor.