I'm so angry! Where did it come from?

Almost all of us have experienced "belly bloating", especially after a big meal, when the food seems to burst our stomachs. This feeling instantly makes us lose the joy of "eating" in the first place.

You may have heard of "flatulence". In fact, "flatulence" is different from "belly distension" after a full meal. Flatulence means that you may often feel that your stomach is filled with air and your abdomen is swollen (commonly known as a "swimming ring"). So are you curious about how the gas in our stomach is generated? Let's take a look.

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Where does the gas in your stomach come from?

1. Swallowing air

In most cases, there is one reason for excess gas in the stomach and intestines: swallowing air. So how does air get into our bodies?

Possible causes include:

• Swallowing saliva. This happens when saliva production is high, such as when dentures fit poorly or when you feel nauseous or nervous, and air is swallowed.

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• Eating and drinking. When you eat with large mouthfuls, drink through a straw, chew gum, or suck on candy, you swallow air.

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2. Gas-producing foods

Gas-producing foods are processed and fermented by bacteria in the intestines, which produces gas. The more you eat, the more gas is produced and accumulated. If you are healthy, the gas will be discharged normally through burping and farting; but if you feel uncomfortable at this time, it will cause bloating.

The following are gas-producing foods that can easily cause gastrointestinal bloating:

• High-sugar gas-producing foods. Such as carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, taro, pumpkin, chestnuts, etc. These foods are rich in sugars (starch, cellulose, etc.). After being fully fermented by intestinal bacteria, they will produce a large amount of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. If they cannot be discharged for a while, they will accumulate in the intestines and cause gastrointestinal bloating.

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• Soy products. Such as soybeans, soy beans, tofu, soy milk, tofu pudding, etc. Soy products contain a variety of anti-nutritional factors, two of which are related to the gastrointestinal tract. One is trypsin inhibitor, which is a substance that can inhibit the activity of proteases in the body. If consumed too much, it will affect the digestion of protein and irritate the gastrointestinal tract. In severe cases, symptoms such as nausea and vomiting will occur; the other is gastrointestinal flatulence factor, which can cause gastrointestinal flatulence, diarrhea, and indigestion. Normal consumption of soy products can supplement protein, so soy products are delicious, but don't be greedy!

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3. Unhealthy stomach

• Disturbance of flora: The air in the stomach is actually produced by intestinal bacteria. There are various flora in the stomach and intestines. When the human body is healthy, the flora can be in dynamic balance and mutually beneficial. If the gastrointestinal flora is disturbed (the proportion of normal intestinal flora is changed), the bad bacteria will become more rampant, producing a large amount of gas in the stomach and intestines, eventually forming flatulence, and may also affect the immune system of the intestines, causing abnormal inflammation. In addition, after the proportion of intestinal flora is changed, the composition and volume of air in the intestine may also be affected.

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• Poor intestinal motility: Poor gastrointestinal function will lead to poor gastrointestinal motility and intestinal obstruction. The stomach and intestines will also produce gas during the digestion process. If the stomach and intestines are blocked, the gas cannot be released, resulting in flatulence.

• Intestinal disorders: These include irritable or spasmodic intestinal tract, gallbladder disease (which means poor digestion of eaten fats), and lactose indigestion (which means the body lacks the enzyme lactase, which is necessary for the digestion of lactose). As a result of these symptoms, the indigested substances will be fermented by bacteria, causing bloating.

• Impaired intestinal emptying: When there is intestinal obstruction or weakening of the intestinal wall tone, excess gas and fluid may accumulate in the intestine.

How to avoid bloating?

1. Prevention

• Change your eating habits and eat less foods containing oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, polyols or sugar alcohols (i.e. the high-sugar, gas-producing foods mentioned above). These substances are not easily metabolized in the small intestine and will go to the large intestine to be broken down by bacteria to produce gas.

• Change your lifestyle habits, exercise more, especially participate in exercises that are beneficial to promoting intestinal peristalsis, such as swimming, long-term yoga, etc., which can effectively increase intestinal blood circulation, thereby enhancing intestinal peristalsis function and relieving symptoms of intestinal gas accumulation.

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2. Treatment

Although there is a "gas" in the word "flatulence" and the mechanism of flatulence is closely related to intestinal gas, many studies have shown that the root cause of flatulence may be that there are other problems in our body.

If there are symptoms of gas accumulation in the abdomen, it can also be relieved by taking oral drugs that regulate digestive tract motility, such as the traditional Chinese medicine Simotang oral liquid that eliminates abdominal distension, Mosapride dispersible tablets that promote gastrointestinal motility, and trimebutine maleate, a bidirectional gastrointestinal motility regulating drug, etc. If the patient has constipation problems, assisting defecation may alleviate abdominal distension, or even antibiotics can be used to change the intestinal flora.

Finally, the editor hopes that everyone can actively prevent flatulence in daily life and seek medical attention in time when gastrointestinal discomfort (flatulence). Only with a healthy stomach can you enjoy a delicious meal!