Pain/Gas?Bloating

1174 Views 21 Replies 9 Participants Last post by Reeta, Oct 15, 2003

5069

Discussion Starter · Oct 4, 2003

Hi Everyone: I read something I found very interesting tonigt and thought I'd pass it along. It said a lot of people drink too much fluid with their meals. In doing so, they dilute digestive enzymes or juices needed to digest their food or completely wash it away. I frequently drink a glass or two of ice tea with my meals and I may be sending food to my colon where I create gas because of too much ice tea. That's so simple!!! I think I won't be drinking much with my meals for the next week and see how this turns out. Annem

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flux

· #2 · Oct 4, 2003

quote:In doing so, they dilute digestive enzymes or juices needed to digest their food or completely wash it away

It's

In fact, it's the opposite from the truth. Digestion requires HUGE amounts of fluid to function and one of the main functions of the intestine is to flood the gut with fluid. The amount one drinks is a drop in the bucket so to speak in comparison.

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Reeta

· #3 · Oct 4, 2003

Hi, Annem - I too have heard a similar report about drinking liquids whilst eating being detrimental to the role played by digestive enzymes, ie they're diluted and therefore not as effective. It makes sense to me. I usually drink water a little while before commencing my meals and then leave out drinks until perhaps half an hour after eating. I also try to eat more slowly and spend more time masticating food - something I tended not to do when I had a busy working life. Until I thought about it, I did not realise how quickly I ate my food; that, along with drinking with meals cannot possibly aid the natural digestion. It takes constant reminding to spend more time chewing though!

flux

· #4 · Oct 5, 2003

quote: It makes sense to me.

Make that

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leahmonahan

· #5 · Oct 5, 2003

Annem, You might also consider the hot/cold factor. Some people have difficulty digesting if they intake anything too hot or too icy, especially if you mix the two in the same meal. Ice water (or iced anything) can be especially shocking to the system.Laylo

stinky too

· #6 · Oct 5, 2003

I also read that liquids with meals is bad for your digestion, so I stopped drinking water with food. But it didn't change anything. AS for the hot cold thing, I know I can get pills (vitamins etc.) down easier with warm water. But I prefeer eith hot or cold.

5069

Discussion Starter · #7 · Oct 5, 2003

Hi Folks: I appreciate your understanding comments. I know not all of us have organs that work exactly the same or precisely as they should. I have difficulty digesting meat sometimes and it can cause me to have a lot of gas from time to time. I was thinking if I'm not producing enough acid to digest my meat then I certainly don't want to dilute what I have there for digestion. It was just an idea, something to stop that gas. I think for a time I will stop drinking liquids with my foods and see if there is any improvement. Thanks, Annem

flux

· #8 · Oct 5, 2003

quote: I have difficulty digesting meat sometimes and it can cause me to have a lot of gas from time to time.

How do you know you have trouble digesting meat? There is actually no physiological mechanism by which meat could give rise to gas in large volumes, so somehow something else must be going on.

quote:I was thinking if I'm not producing enough acid to digest my meat

If you didn't have any acid, meat would still be digested fine. The acid is mainly for killing bacteria and is not significantly involved in digestion.

5069

Discussion Starter · #9 · Oct 5, 2003

Flux: Since you say you understand this whole process of digestion of food which includes meat. Will you please explain what you know about the process of digestion, including the digestion of meat and the enzymes required to digest it. Please include the gas issue concerning meat digestion. It would really be appreciated. Thank you. Annem

Danielle Garrett

· #10 · Oct 5, 2003

THANK YOU ANNEM FOR YOUR LAST POST. THIS IS A QUESTION FOR ME TOO SINCE I SEEM TO HAVE A PROBLEM COMPLETELY BREAKING DOWN PROTEINS. SCG

Reeta

· #11 · Oct 5, 2003

Flux: If you have nothing contructive or helpful to say, why don't you just go play somewhere else.

marvin3784

· #12 · Oct 5, 2003

I think flux just likes to play devil's advocate in such a way that makes him look as though he has all of the answers.

flux

· #13 · Oct 5, 2003

quote:I SEEM TO HAVE A PROBLEM COMPLETELY BREAKING DOWN PROTEINS

Why do you think this?

quote: Will you please explain what you know about the process of digestion, including the digestion of meat and the enzymes required to digest it. Please include the gas issue concerning meat digestion.

First, the main role of the stomach is store a consumed meal and present it to the small intestine at a controlled rate in a form it can handle (i.e., liquid). That is, the stomach's acid and digestive enzymes (mainly pepsin, which digest proteins) are not essential for adequate digestion and absorption. We know this is true because there are people who live without stomachs. In addition, acid suppressant drugs are used routinely in the general population without apparent ill effect on digestion/absorption. There is a good discussion of digestion at http://arbl.cvmbs.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/ Most digestion takes place in the duodenum (first part of the small intestine). Some of the enzymes come from pancreatic juice (for protein: trypsin, chymotrypsin, carboyxpeptidase) but there are also enzymes (for protein: carboxypeptidase, dipeptidases, aminopeptidase) physically bound to the wall of the duodenum which also participate in protein digestion. The pancreas produces a huge amount of liquid and the intestine and an even much larger volume. The large volume is required for adequate mixing of the consumed meal with the enzymes. The total amount of liquid secreted by the gut in a day is exceeds this volume:

Proteins are absorbed in the jejunum and enough is absorbed that is very little left over for the bacteria in the colon to act on. The only gas you can get from them are odoriferous gases because many proteins contain sulfur and these gases all contain sulfur (hydrogen sulfide, methanthiol, dimethyl sulfoxide). Gases in quantity, which are mainly hydrogen and carbon dioxide, are produced by bacterial action on undigested carbohydrates, which include naturally undigestible sugars such as raffinose, resistant starches, some fibers and malabsorbed sugars (e.g, fructose).

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flux

· #14 · Oct 6, 2003

Oops. I'm a roll with errors..now mixing up liters and gallons.

That's a 5 gallon jug pictured above, so it would take about three days for that much fluid to circulate through the gut.

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5069

Discussion Starter · #15 · Oct 7, 2003

Flux: Thank you, that was very good. I do have a question, can a person without a stomach eat a normal diet? What happens if your body is acidic or the opposote is true? If a person happens to have their pancreas malfunctioning without making them sick enough to realize something is wrong? Can they still digest meat and fat without it going to the colon? Annem

flux

· #16 · Oct 7, 2003

quote:can a person without a stomach eat a normal diet?

No, everything consumed would rapidly overfill the small intestine, which can handle only tiny amounts of food at a time. So they must consume very small meals if at all (alternative tube feeding).

quote:What happens if your body is acidic or the opposote is true?

If a person had metabolic acidosis/alkalosis, they would be very sick. The digestive system itself generally can't cause or impact on this directly regardless.

quote:If a person happens to have their pancreas malfunctioning without making them sick enough to realize something is wrong? Can they still digest meat and fat without it going to the colon?

If it were sick enough to affect digestion, it would probably cause maldigestion (of all foods, but mainly fat) which in turn would result in steatorrhea (greasy stools), weight loss and anemia. A fecal fat test could determine if there were maldigestion present.

Danielle Garrett

· #17 · Oct 8, 2003

FLUX:THE REASON WHY I SAID I SEEM TO HAVE A PROBLEM COMPLETELY DIGESTING PROTEINS IS BECAUSE AFTER I EAT MEAT SOMETIMES THE GAS PRODUCED SMELLS LIKE UNDIGESTED OR INCOMPLETELY DIGESTED MEAT. PERHAPS, GIVEN YOUR EXPLANATION, IT IS MERELY THE "ODORIFEROUS GASES" THAT RESULTED FROM THE SULFUR IN PROTEIN.FOR OTHER IBS'ERS, I HAVE BEEN TAKING PROBIOTICS WITH ENZYME SUPPORT AND THE BAD ODORS HAVE BEEN REDUCED. ALSO MY GENERAL DIGESTION OF FOODS HAS IMPROVED.SCG

BloatedLady

· #18 · Oct 14, 2003

can a person without a stomach eat a normal diet? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------No, everything consumed would rapidly overfill the small intestine, which can handle only tiny amounts of food at a time. So they must consume very small meals if at all (alternative tube feeding).My father had his stomach completely removed in 1984 (!!) due to cancer. As flux said he had to eat small meals, 5 a day, and there were recemmended foods but in general he was not very much restricted in what he ate. He felt full very quickly but he did not have to be tube-fed.If that worked in 1984 I would assume it would work even better now as medicine has nade fair progress since. But again, each case will be different. But yes, it is definitely possible.

BloatedLady

· #19 · Oct 14, 2003

No, everything consumed would rapidly overfill the small intestine, which can handle only tiny amounts of food at a time. So they must consume very small meals if at all (alternative tube feeding).Sorry this was also a quote but it looks in my post as if I had said this... it is a quote from Flux's post.

5069

Discussion Starter · #20 · Oct 14, 2003

Hi Reet: How are you doing with the chewing of your food? I really have to discipline myself in this way as I get my mind on other things. Right now I'm eating prunes for C and that is really great, helps a lot. Also, Raisin Bran cereal is great for my C problem. Annem

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