Viraj's Weblog

No I'm not talking about the $3 per gallon kind. I'm referring to flatulence, or farting.

I was reading my Chemistry book and it mentioned a product called Beano, which is an over-the-counter supplement to prevent gas when eating certain foods. Why in the world my college Chemistry book would be advertising fart-reducing pills is beyond me, but it did get me interested.

Now I'm not saying I have a flatulence problem, but there are some foods that I eat and well, umm, let's just say I don't smell like Gucci afterwards. It's actually strange, because its the healthy foods that give me gas. Things like lettuce, broccoli, other green things, sweet potatoes, certain breads, etc. So I pretty much hate eating such foods. I know they are good for me, but they always give me stomach problems. I can't stop eating such things because I'd like to have a healthy diet once in awhile. It sucks because I can't even eat a salad without getting some problems.

They have a pretty good explanation of what gas is on Beano's website:

What causes gas?

The body does not digest and absorb some carbohydrates in the small intestine because of a shortage or absence of certain enzymes. This undigested food then passes from the small intestine to the large intestine where bacteria break down the food, producing gas. The most common symptoms of gas are flatulence, abdominal bloating and abdominal pain. In essence, the body lacks the enzymes needed to breakdown the carbohydrates found in some gassy foods like vegetables, legumes, grains, cereals, nuts, seeds and whole-grain breads. This is where Beano® steps in. Beano® contains a food enzyme from a natural source that works with your body’s digestion to breakdown the complex sugars in gassy foods making them more digestible, thereby preventing gas before it even starts.

My Biology teacher described this symbiotic bacterial environment in class. Basically, when you are born you don't really have much bacteria in your intestine. It takes some time to build up that "flora," as my professor put it. I don't know about you, but "flora" gives me the impression of a garden growing in my colon, and that's not very cool to say the least. I wonder if this bacteria can ever get out of control. Well if you know someone that farts alot, then I think the bacteria have the upper hand in that person.

Wikipedia also has some more delightful information on gas. I especially like this bit:

If sitting on a cushioned surface, the gases can be directed into the open-cell polyurethane foam and somewhat quarantined. Following the fart, standing will not release the odor, in fact, the gases will be further pushed to the center of the cushion. The gases will not leak out and be detectable, unless the cushion is compressed again under the weight of another person. The use of this phenomenon as a practical joke is obvious.

Wikipedia always has funny wording, which changes alot of course. Like on this page about sleep, the caption for the picture is "A human female sleeping." They've since changed that.

Anyway, Beano seemed like something worth trying, so I bought some at the local CVS. You are supposed to take it with your first bite when eating certain foods. All I can say is wow, it really works. I ate something that I knew for sure causes problems for me, and when I took Beano with it, there were no problems at all.

So buy yourself some if you have gas problems. Hm, I'm probably going to regret ever writing this.