Gas is a common term for the vapors that accumulate in your digestive tract, which extends from your mouth to your rectum. Much of the gas you produce comes from foods classified as carbohydrates, which are made from a variety of substances known collectively as saccharides or sugars. Increased consumption of the indigestible form of carbohydrate called fiber can at least temporarily increase your gas production. Soluble fibers can increase gas while insoluble fibers do not.
Background
When you eat most forms of carbohydrates, they get broken down during the process of digestion and transported into your bloodstream through specialized cells that line the walls of your small intestine. Carbs processed in this manner are called digestible carbohydrates, and include simple sugars and larger, more complex sugars known as starches. Fiber is a form of carbohydrate that doesn't get digested and passes through the length of your digestive tract before getting excreted in your feces. It performs functions that include regulating the speed of feces elimination, helping in the regulation of your blood glucose levels and helping in the reduction of your cholesterol levels.
Gas Production Factors
Some of the gas in your digestive tract comes from swallowing air, while the rest of it comes from the breakdown of undigested food in your colon, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. The food-related component of gas production comes mainly from the carbohydrates in your diet. When carbs don't get digested, bacteria in your colon feed on them and produce carbon dioxide and hydrogen gases; sometimes, another gas called methane also is produced. A certain type of fiber, called soluble fiber, breaks down in your colon and produces gas. Another type of fiber, called insoluble fiber, stays more or less intact and isn't a major gas source.
Fiber Examples
Foods that contain soluble fiber can produce gas; they include most fruits as well as barley, beans, seeds, nuts, peas, oat bran and lentils. Certain fiber supplements, such as psyllium, also contain soluble fiber. Foods that contain insoluble fiber are unlikely to cause significant gas problems; they include vegetables, whole grains and wheat bran. You can increase your chances for developing gas, as well as other symptoms such as bloating and abdominal cramps, if you consume a lot of fiber in a relatively short period of time.
Considerations and Recommendations
To avoid potential problems with gas and other unpleasant fiber-related side effects, increase your fiber intake slowly over time. Also make sure that you drink plenty of water or other healthy liquids to ease the passage of fiber through your digestive tract. Most adults, teenagers and older children in America eat roughly 30 to 50 percent of the recommended daily amount of dietary fiber, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus reports. Adequate fiber consumption can potentially lower your risks for significant health disorders that include heart disease and diabetes. Consult your doctor and a registered nutritionist for specific guidelines on fiber consumption.
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