In the absence of a serious digestive problem, excessive gas is usually due to the breakdown of carbohydrates by bacteria in the intestinal tract. Several situations may contribute to this.

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A common problem that causes excessive gas is a deficiency of the enzyme lactase in the digestive tract. Lactase breaks down the sugar lactose, found in dairy products. If there is not sufficient lactase to digest all the lactose, it gets broken down by intestinal bacteria and produces gas. There are two ways to approach this. One is to eliminate dairy products from the diet. If lactase deficiency is the problem, then gas production should decrease once milk products are removed. Another approach is to utilize a supplement called Lactaid, which is simply the enzyme lactase. By supplying the needed lactase along with dairy products, lactose is digested and not available for bacterial breakdown in the intestines.

Another common cause for excess gas production from bacterial breakdown comes from the carbohydrate present in beans. A supplement called Beano can be used when eating any kind of beans to assist with digestion of the bean carbohydrates. Most people who get a lot of gas from eating beans also benefit from discarding the water that beans are soaked in and cooking them in fresh water. Adding herbs like fennel, cardamom and cilantro when cooking beans is also helpful.

Some people are very sensitive to other gas forming foods like onions, garlic and vegetables from the cabbage/broccoli family. I personally can not eat onions, especially with other gas formers like beans. You may want to try eliminating some of these foods for a time to see if that is helpful.

Another possibility is that there is an imbalance in the normal intestinal bacteria. Using a supplement of Lactobacillus can help to restore the natural balance. and decrease gas production.

Since your gas problem is severe and chronic, you may want to try eliminating all of the above foods and taking some Lactobacillus for awhile to see if it improves. If so, you can reintroduce one food at a time to help you identify the ones that cause the gas. Of course, it would also be a good idea to see your health care provider about this to make sure there is not a more serious problem.

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* The information presented in this web site is intended to inform and educate. It is not intended replace a qualified medical practitioner to diagnose or treat medical conditions.