Got Gas? It Could Mean You've Got Healthy Gut Microbes
Not long ago, we heard about a catchy idea for a cookbook: "Fart-free food for everybody." In theory, these recipes would be helpful for some people - and those in their vicinity. But being a bit gassy may actually be a small price to pay for a lot of benefits to our health. We know that air often comes after eating nutrient-packed vegetables, such as cabbage, kale and broccoli. And researchers have found that fiber-rich foods, like beans and lentils, boost the levels of beneficial gut bacteria after only a few days, as we reported in December. So all this got us wondering: Could passing gas, in some instances, be a sign that our gut microbes are busy keeping us healthy?
Absolutely, says Purna Kashyap, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. While no one's sure which foods are good for our microbiomes, eating more veggies can't hurt. "Eating foods that cause gas is the only way for the microbes in the gut to get nutrients," he says. "If we didn't feed them carbohydrates, it would be harder for them to live in our gut."
(Score: 3, Funny) by tynin on Wednesday April 30 2014, @07:06PM
My gut microbes are SUPER healthy!
First fart!
(Score: 5, Funny) by tynin on Wednesday April 30 2014, @07:09PM
I posted this, and right after the site started kicking 503 errors. Apparently, my farts can peel the varnish right off a server!
(Score: 2) by AnonTechie on Wednesday April 30 2014, @07:16PM
Wonder why I too get the 503 error ... Maybe the Soylent servers don't like this story !!
Albert Einstein - "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 30 2014, @07:42PM
503-SOE-Sony Online Entertainment-Everquest-Brain Fart
So, maybe the server is saying it had a Brain Fart,,,perhaps when someone there farted near an overheating processor..
(Score: 3, Insightful) by frojack on Wednesday April 30 2014, @07:21PM
While I admire this gastroenterologist's concern for the microbiomes in the gut, I'm more concerned with MY health than the bacteria's health. Nowhere is there any assertion that these goals are one and the same, and that gas producing bacteria are the healthiest microbiomes to cultivate by changing one's diet.
Instead we see a double helping of vegan bias masquerading as science.
Its supposed to work the other way around. You (pretty much automatically) cultivate the microbiomes you need for your diet, rather than changing your diet to grow a particular group of bacteria.
Your gut is not a farm. Its there to extract nutritional value for you, not the other way around.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Wednesday April 30 2014, @07:37PM
You're right, the gut-microbe probiotic aspect of it reeks of new-agey bullshit like wheatgrass shots and gluten-free diets.
However, those foods almost always also contain lots of fiber and fiber is unquestionably good for you -- though having coffee with that fiber-shake in the morning is probably a bad idea because you could soyle your trousers with what you thought was gonna be a mere fart.
(Score: 2) by nightsky30 on Wednesday April 30 2014, @08:29PM
It's a trap!!!
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Thursday May 01 2014, @02:59AM
Not exactly... where I used to live there was a colon-cancer researcher who gave a public lecture I was lucky enough to attend. Someone there asked him about fibre as a preventive, and he said that actually they were seeing the opposite, that a high fibre diet could trigger or exacerbate the problem (tho they'd found colon cancer itself was 100% genetic).
This makes sense to me (who went to university in biochem/microbiology) as 1) fibre is by definition indigestible to non-ruminants, 2) fibre is an irritant (as demonstrated by the increased production of mucus by the gut).
Also, Dr.Eades (and others, but he blogged about it) found a strong correlation between acid-reflux and a high-fibre/high-carb diet; his instant cure for GERD sufferers is to take the fibre (and much of the carbs) out of the diet.
But back to TFA... that was exactly my thought (from a biochem/microbiol POV) -- this is vegan bullshit. The microbes may be healthy (or more accurately, overgrown), but it's not your job to be a Petri dish.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by Common Joe on Thursday May 01 2014, @04:50AM
I don't know. There's certainly a lot of truth in what you say, but I also find that the older I get, the more I have to cater to my body which includes those bacteria in my gut. I've found that I need to update my diet every few years to match my body's need. I've reduced the amount of everything I eat and give my body a higher percentage of carbs than I used to. I used to eat more meat percentage-wise. I also have a slightly higher intake of vegetables than I had as a teen. I also drink juice more judiciously -- mostly when I work out so I can keep my sugar levels in check. As for those bacteria? I have adjust my diet a bit on a daily basis. I can feel some of what they're up to down there and I have to adjust my diet accordingly. Let's just says I've been many doctors about that and they all shrug.
I suppose I'm just saying that it should not be a "I am human; bacteria serve me!" kind of attitude. Those bacteria are part of you. When you say "me", you should include those little guys down there. Just like it's a symbiotic relationship between your neurons and the muscle cells in your legs, it should be the same between your neurons and those bacteria. You can't remove those little guys without killing yourself. Which brings up an interesting point.
When a doctor prescribes antibiotics, be very wary. It kills the good and bad bacteria. I suspect (but cannot prove) antibiotics have permanently altered my digestive tract and caused a permanent ailment I now have. Had I known more about my body or had a doctor taken more time to work with me (instead of moving on to the next patient for their 15 minutes), I could have been easily prevented the annual allergy / sinus infection / antibiotic onslaught with a no-drug solution that I'm currently using today. (Nasal saline flush.)
(Score: 2) by GlennC on Wednesday April 30 2014, @07:32PM
So this is yet another reason not to go low carb.
It would also make sense to focus on nutrient rich foods as opposed to energy rich ones.
Sorry folks...the world is bigger and more varied than you want it to be. Deal with it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 01 2014, @12:33AM
To use an analogy of growing grass, we also need healthy flora to protect the digestive process from parasitic invaders. If they don't have a place to stay, they get kicked out or eaten.
Same as on your lawn, nothing else can grow there if its thick and healthy.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 01 2014, @03:13AM
now get off my lawn!