What Are the Causes of Severe Intestinal Gas?

Intestinal gas, or flatus, although embarrassing and sometimes painful is a normal biological function. People pass gas approximately 10 to 20 times a day. However, severe intestinal gas occurs more frequently, is accompanied by excessive pain, and can become trapped causing you to become bloated.

Causes

• Severe intestinal gas can be caused by swallowed air, intestinal bacteria in the colon, food allergies, and foods containing sugars, starches, and cellulose. Overgrowth and spread of bacteria, blockages, or gastrointestinal disorders also are known to contribute to this painful condition.

Foods

• Incompletely digested starches-or sugars-and cellulose found in high-fiber foods produce excessive intestinal gas when they reach the colon where their digestion must be completed by bacteria. Gas is a by-product of this process. Wheat, oats, cabbage, beans, corn, potatoes, lactose and sugar substitutes like sorbitol are among the culprits.

Food Allergies

• People who lack the lactase enzyme needed to break down lactose, a sugar found in milk, can suffer from severe intestinal gas when consuming milk and milk products, such as ice cream.

Bacteria

• If the colony of intestinal bacteria is overgrown and spreads from the colon to the small intestine, the normal digestive process is interrupted. Food incompletely digested in the small intestine has to be broken down by the bacteria, thereby causing formation of an excessive amount of gas.

Illness and Disease

• Impacted stools and blockages in the stomach or bowel can cause severe intestinal gas. Gastrointestinal disorders such as diverticulitis and ulcerative colitis can also cause this problem. All of these conditions require medical attention, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Treatment

• Changing the diet to avoid foods that cause excessive gas, such as broccoli and pears, and then gradually reintroducing the foods is suggested by the Mayo Clinic. Digestive aids such as lactase supplements, Beano, and charcoal tablets offer some relief from gas, but severe cases require evaluation and treatment by a healthcare provider.