BOSTON, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --- Flatulence isn't much fun for the person having it - or those nearby. The October 2007 issue of the Harvard Health Letter lists tips for dealing with intestinal gas. For example:
-- Slow down your eating: A little bit of air goes down with
everything you swallow. To reduce the amount of air, eat and
drink slowly and chew food thoroughly.
-- Avoid airy drinks and foods: Air also gets into the gut if it's
incorporated into food and drinks like beer, soda, or sponge
-- Don't smoke: Some air gets swallowed when people smoke. Perhaps
flatulence should be added to the list of ill consequences of
-- Shun sulfur: The bad smell of flatus comes from gases that
contain sulfur. Putting less sulfur into your system can
reduce the amount that comes out. Avoid sulfur-rich foods like
eggs, meat, and cauliflower.
-- Cook those beans: When colon bacteria feed on the sugars in
beans, they produce a gas by-product. You can reduce beans'
gas potential by boiling them briefly, letting them sit, and
then cooking them again in fresh water--or just by cooking them
-- Consider Beano: A study found that high doses of the
over-the-counter product Beano reduced flatulence, but a
normal dose did not produce statistically significant results.
-- Go low on high-fructose corn syrup: Foods containing this
sweetener can cause bloating and flatulence in people whose
small intestines can't absorb large amounts of fructose.
-- Adjust the ecosystem: Too few or too much of particular
bacterial species in the intestines can produce excessive
flatulence. Talk to your doctor about probiotics; in certain
cases, an antibiotic might be worth considering.
Also in this issue:
-- Making prescription bottles clearer
-- Radon in homes
-- Cranberry juice and warfarin
-- Selenium, diabetes link
-- Sugarless gum sweeteners
-- By the way, doctor: Snoring solutions
The Harvard Health Letter is available from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School, for $28 per year. Subscribe at http://www.health.harvard.edu/health or by calling 1-877-649-9457 (toll free).
Media: Contact Christine Junge at Christine_Junge@hms.harvard.edu for a complimentary copy of the newsletter, or to receive our press releases directly.
|SOURCE Harvard Health Publications|
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