Nov 23, 2021 12:00:00

Survey results show that switching to a plant-based diet will increase flatulence and stools

If a person who used to have a diet low in vegetables and fruits switches to a plant-based diet,

the number of flatulences and flatulences that cause gas accumulation and bloating may increase, and the amount of stool may increase. Known empirically. A study by a Spanish research team found that switching to a plant-based diet increased the number of stools by a factor of 7 and the amount of stools by a factor of 2.

Nutrients | Free Full-Text | Differential Effects of Western and Mediterranean-Type Diets on Gut Microbiota: A Metagenomics and Metabolomics Approach
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/8/2638

Increased flatulence from eating plant-based diet found to indicate healthier gut microbiome
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-09-flatulence-plant-based-diet-healthier-gut.html

Men fart more when eating a plant-based diet due to good gut bacteria | New Scientist
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2289171-men-fart-more-when-eating-a-plant-based-diet-due-to-good-gut-bacteria/

A plant-based diet high in vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes contains a lot of fiber that nourishes the gut bacteria, which activates the gut bacteria and increases the amount of flatulence and stool. It is known to increase. However, how much a plant-based diet actually increases the amount of flatulence and stool has not been studied so much.

Therefore, the research team recruited 18 healthy men aged 18 to 38 and conducted an experiment to compare the effects of a Western-style diet with few vegetables and fruits and a Mediterranean-style diet consisting mainly of plants. I did. Each subject was assigned to either a Western-style diet or a Mediterranean-style diet, and after two weeks of continuing one particular diet, switching to the other diet, during which time the amount of flatulence and stool changed. I measured it. Subjects collected and weighed their stools, and also conducted surveys such as measuring the number of flatulences at the counter and measuring the amount of flatulence in the laboratory.

As a result of the experiment, the number of stools that men stool did not change depending on the dietary style, but the amount of stool that was delivered at one time was 100 g when eating a Western-style meal, whereas it was 1 when eating a Mediterranean-style meal. It turned out to be twice as much as 200g times. The research team also reported that the number of flatulences was seven times higher for Mediterranean-style meals, and the amount of flatulence served at one time was more than 50% higher.

It is believed that eating more plants increased the amount of stool because of the increased amount of intestinal bacteria and dietary fiber excreted. In addition, the flatulence that increased in subjects who ate a Mediterranean-style diet is said to have been produced in the process of fermenting dietary fiber by intestinal bacteria, but these are mainly composed of odorless hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide. It seems that the odor does not increase just because the amount of flatulence is large.

Rosemary Stanton , a nutritionist at the University of New South Wales, Australia, suggests that the findings are a welcome change, not something wrong with flatulence due to eating more plants. Pointed out that it is. 'The Western idea that'flatulence is a sign of something wrong'is totally wrong.' '(Most of the time) flatulence is a sign of having a healthy diet and a healthy colon. '.