Howcome food intolerances like of dairy give you gas?

I thought gas was only caused by bacteria (or other intestinal organisms like fungus and parasites)?

Like... I thought gas was a sign of dysbiosis, etc etc.

So howcome you get gas if you can't digest your food properly, like if you can't produce sufficient lactase or bile or something? I don't understand why gas results, and not simply poorly digested food.

Please someone explain this to me!

Cheers,

Hoppi

People with lactose intolerance do not produce enough of the lactase enzyme to break down lactose. Instead, undigested lactose sits in the gut and gets broken down by bacteria, causing gas, bloating, stomach cramps, and diarrhea.

It IS bacteria causing the gas because you can't digest the lactose.

So howcome you get gas if you can't digest your food properly, like if you can't produce sufficient lactase or bile or something? I don't understand why gas results, and not simply poorly digested food.

The role of the digestive tract is to break down food and extract nutrients. Proteins are broken down by lactic acid in the stomach, fats are broken down upon exposure to bile in the small intestine, carbohydrates are absorbed through the small intestine as well. The stuff that doesn't get broken down is passed onto the large intestine where it gets fermented by bacteria, producing gas.

The reason food intolerances produce gas, is in part due to accelerated transit time (due to inflammation due to bacteria and the immune system).

Accelerated transit time = more food to all kinds of bacteria.


Gut damage and infections even with a more normal transit will produce gas due to putrefaction along with bacterial toxins and the corresponding systemic inflammation.

LittleFighter wrote:The reason food intolerances produce gas, is in part due to accelerated transit time (due to inflammation due to bacteria and the immune system).

Accelerated transit time = more food to all kinds of bacteria.


Gut damage and infections even with a more normal transit will produce gas due to putrefaction along with bacterial toxins and the corresponding systemic inflammation.

LF,

What do you mean by accelerated transit time (e.g. transit time from where to where)? I would think that if you are talking about digestion time it would be opposite (decelerated) because it is not being digested by the gut and bacteria is feeding off of it (digesting it).

Would you agree that a lactose intolerance is not necessarily indicative of poor gut heath because human beings simply aren't designed to digest animal milk where the lactase enzyme has been killed (pasteurized)? Same with gluten to a lesser degree because even in a healthy gut, gluten itself is inflammatory and sticks to the walls of the gut, leading to damage. I would say that gluten itself causes the damage and poor gut health.

If you increase the intestinal transit time of food too much, digestive enzymes from the gut can't act on food enough so bacteria of all kinds will be suddenly presented with too much food they can break down, this produces gas, too much acid and bacterial products. Also, increased transit time doesn't allow certain bacteria to properly break down irritating bile acids, a normal function that flora performs. The result is not fully formed stools, sticky, gas, foul smelling.

Slow transit time isn't good either.

Intestinal irritation from infection, supplements, etc, is one of the causes of fast transit time.

If I understand well Art Ayers, the inability to digest lactose can be cured by ingesting the right bacteria (I don't believe that is necessarily a sign of poor gut health). These bacteria will break down lactose AND exchange genes that allows resident bacteria to produce lactase, and you get "cured" of lactose intolerance.

I think it is true the gentic aspect too, some people don't produce the enzyme on their intestines but I believe that this condition can be reversed.

I believe that Milk, even if it's not for humans, can be consumed in high amounts by people and still be healthy (the Masai people). The key is the gut flora, the quality of the milk (raw, 100% natural) and other factors. I don't drink it because I have no access to raw milk and I can't recommend milk event if its raw, to people with gut problems.

You'll enjoy reading this:

http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.mx/2012/04/genetics-of-food-intolerance.html

awesome, thanks!

Thanks guys! Very interesting

i'm really glad there is an explanation for the gas, as it REALLY threw me off as I was so confident that only bacteria/parasites/fungus made gas within us, but then this SEEMED at least on the surface to not adhere to that rule.

I should be careful with my dairy consumption I think, and try to keep my gut moving as smoothly as possible