Wind power: what flatulence can signal about your health
Wind is one of life's inconvenient truths – even for the elite. Take the sports coach Joe Wicks, who accidentally broke wind in front of 800,000 people during one of his live PE sessions.
In short, wind happens to everyone – whether in public or not. But the frequency of your flatulence could also say a lot about your mental health. That’s according to researchers in the US, who found that people with depression and anxiety are more likely to break wind than those who don’t suffer from the conditions.
The experts from the University of North Carolina Department of Medicine asked nearly 6,000 people in the UK, the US and Mexico about their wind habits over a period of 24 hours, as well as inquiring about their mental health in the past week. They found that 81 per cent of participants reported breaking wind at least once a day, with stomach rumbling (60 per cent) and belching (58 per cent) coming a close second and third. The scientists found that more gassy people tended to report higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression.
A possible explanation could be down to the links between the brain and the gut. Anxiety, nerves and depression are all known to impact the digestive system and can cause stomach cramps, diarrhoea, constipation and loss of appetite. Another theory suggests that the embarrassment of having gas has a direct impact on the sufferer’s mental wellbeing.
Peter Whorwell, a professor of medicine and gastroenterology at the University of Manchester, believes it is the latter. “If you’re a windy person, you’re going to be more anxious about socialising, or going out – especially if your wind smells. It’s not taken seriously, and people don’t like to admit to having it,” he says.
Usually, flatulence isn’t a cause for concern, with the average person breaking wind five to 15 times a day, according to the NHS. Glenn Gibson, a professor of microbiology at the University of Reading, explains that while burping wind is caused by swallowed air, flatulence is caused by bacteria in the colon, which help our bodies to break down food. Gas sometimes results as a by-product of this process. “Usually this is hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methane. It is all usually pretty harmless and actually indicates that the bugs are doing their job properly. An adult makes several litres of gas a day and needs to break wind about 20 times to get rid of it,” he says.
The difference occurs when wind becomes excessive, painful and starts to impact on your daily life. This is a familiar experience for those who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It’s estimated that the condition affects at least one in 10 people in the UK, yet remains largely unspoken about. IBS can be caused by antibiotics, as a response to a series of distressing events, or food poisoning. The condition is then triggered through a series of diet or lifestyle factors, which can cause painful stomach aches and bloating, diarrhoea and constipation.
Even in people without IBS, certain foods, such as brassicas (eg cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli) are known to cause gas. Bran, beans, lentils and other legumes are other notorious culprits. “These foods all contain carbohydrates that resist digestion in the stomach and small intestines, and make their way to the colon. Upon arrival, they become food for the trillions of bacteria that reside there. These bacteria ferment the carbohydrates and produce gases, mainly hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane,” says Gibson. The gasses that aren’t absorbed or expelled by the body cause us to pass wind. Veganism, a diet that is high in fibre, often causes excess flatulence.
Wind can also be a sign of lactose intolerance, although Whorwell acknowledges that this isn’t very common in the West. In short, it means your body doesn’t produce enough of an enzyme called lactase, which helps your body break down the sugar in milk. Rather than being absorbed into your bloodstream, the sugar ends up in your colon where it ferments. If you experience symptoms such as bloating, gas and diarrhoea about 30 minutes to two hours after you drink milk or eat dairy products, it is a good idea to get a hydrogen breath test – which measures the amount of hydrogen you breathe out after having lactose – to confirm whether you have an intolerance.
Some experts have linked flatulence to antibiotic use. The theory is that certain medications may destroy some of the healthy bacteria in the digestive tract while they attempt to eradicate infection. The removal of the ‘good’ bacteria can lead to an imbalance in the digestive tract and, unfortunately, the production of bad-smelling gas. Whorwell doesn’t agree that antibiotics directly cause wind, but he explains that antibiotic diarrhoea can cause our stools and wind to smell more. “They can also lead to IBS, causing sufferers to experience more wind than usual,” he adds.
However, in 2006 researchers found that rifaximin, an antibiotic used to treat diarrhoea, is an effective treatment for abdominal bloating and flatulence, including in people who suffer from IBS. “The thinking behind rifaximin is you can kill off all the bacteria that is causing the wind and hope new bacteria will grow in its place,” says Whorwell.
The best way to deal with wind, then, is to identify what’s causing it. If it’s your diet, then perhaps go a little easier on eating root vegetables, beans, peas, broccoli and cauliflower. Similarly, foods that are high in fructose – such as fruit juice – can cause us to feel more gassy than normal. Alternatively, a brisk outdoor walk can help to relieve the pressure, and a charcoal biscuit or tablet (from pharmacies) can minimise the smell.
