[AD]

I read something that kind of confused me in a book called "Gut Reactions." It said that a lot of water is absorbed from the colon each day, but much less if the water is comsumed with the bolus, such as after meals.Does this mean that drinking water with meals is more likely to cause a more liquid stool than drinking water without food? Or is it the other way around?Does drinking water with food really make much difference in the colon?

 

[flux]

Just common sense suggests to me it's silly because then everyone would be having diarrhea when they consumed water with their meals and who doesn't drink something with a meal? If one consumed soluble fiber with meals (which is a good thing in general), some more water would get trapped and that is what one wants to make stools easier to pass, but that is a relatively tiny amount and it makes sense to drink with meals to help with that.This kind of reminds me when you posted the silly idea that one would get more gas when not eating.

 

[flux]

Just common sense suggests to me it's silly because then everyone would be having diarrhea when they consumed water with their meals and who doesn't drink something with a meal? If one consumed soluble fiber with meals (which is a good thing in general), some more water would get trapped and that is what one wants to make stools easier to pass, but that is a relatively tiny amount and it makes sense to drink with meals to help with that.This kind of reminds me when you posted the silly idea that one would get more gas when not eating.

 

[Guest]

Silly idea?

 

[Guest]

Silly idea?

 

[Darlene D]

Flux,People can get MORE gas when fasting. As long as a person is still breathing, air is entering your body, and an empty stomach and colon can lead to pockets of air. I know some people who don't have IBS and they complain of more gas when they miss a meal. I don't really want to argue with you, but I don't think it's nice what you wrote to AD. Why do you say things that will hurt people's feelings? We are all here to help and support each other, aren't we?

 

[Darlene D]

Flux,People can get MORE gas when fasting. As long as a person is still breathing, air is entering your body, and an empty stomach and colon can lead to pockets of air. I know some people who don't have IBS and they complain of more gas when they miss a meal. I don't really want to argue with you, but I don't think it's nice what you wrote to AD. Why do you say things that will hurt people's feelings? We are all here to help and support each other, aren't we?

 

[Guest]

Darlene...that certainly seems to be the truth about the sensation of gas and fasting.As to the other issue..some people are care providers and some are fact providers and the lines between the two often blur. I would think that a little more compassion packaged with our "facts" would be in order.

 

[Guest]

Darlene...that certainly seems to be the truth about the sensation of gas and fasting.As to the other issue..some people are care providers and some are fact providers and the lines between the two often blur. I would think that a little more compassion packaged with our "facts" would be in order.

 

[Sabrina]

Yes not eating will give you more gas!!!I used to go all day and not eat and wondered why I had so much gas - then I started eating smaller meals throughout the day and the gas went away.This is not a silly idea to most of us.

 

[Sabrina]

Yes not eating will give you more gas!!!I used to go all day and not eat and wondered why I had so much gas - then I started eating smaller meals throughout the day and the gas went away.This is not a silly idea to most of us.

 

[LisaL]

Flux, You have to be the rudest person ever. First of all, no idea is a silly idea. Secondly, you don't even have IBS, so how the hell can you know what any of us are talking about anyway? I don't care if I get in trouble from people for saying you aren't ill, because you refuse to tell anyone if you even have this disorder.By the way, don't put a smiley face on your post when you are about to insult them.Lisa

 

[LisaL]

Flux, You have to be the rudest person ever. First of all, no idea is a silly idea. Secondly, you don't even have IBS, so how the hell can you know what any of us are talking about anyway? I don't care if I get in trouble from people for saying you aren't ill, because you refuse to tell anyone if you even have this disorder.By the way, don't put a smiley face on your post when you are about to insult them.Lisa

 

[flux]

quote:As long as a person is still breathing, air is entering your body, and an empty stomach and colon can lead to pockets of air.

This makes no sense. The respiratory system and digestive system are physically separate. Why should an empty intestine lead to pockets of gas? Gas actually should move through the system more efficiently since gut cycles through Phase III of the MMCs and that cycles flushes the gut of material. This wouldn't apply to colon, probably but the colon is never empty and probably not affected that much by not eating.

quote:Yes not eating will give you more gas!!!

However, if one suffered from aerophagia, then one would have gas all the time the aerophagia is occuring. However, why should not eating make aerophagia worse?

quote:then I started eating smaller meals throughout the day and the gas went away

This observation doesn't make much sense. Gas can either come from food (through bacteria) or the atmosphere through aerophagia, so eating by definition increases gas. So I wonder how you knew you had any gas? It just may be that you were observing things differently when you were not eating and falsely concluding it affected the gas. One would have to take formal countings over a long period (eating vs not eating) to get a good observation.

 

[flux]

quote:As long as a person is still breathing, air is entering your body, and an empty stomach and colon can lead to pockets of air.

This makes no sense. The respiratory system and digestive system are physically separate. Why should an empty intestine lead to pockets of gas? Gas actually should move through the system more efficiently since gut cycles through Phase III of the MMCs and that cycles flushes the gut of material. This wouldn't apply to colon, probably but the colon is never empty and probably not affected that much by not eating.

quote:Yes not eating will give you more gas!!!

However, if one suffered from aerophagia, then one would have gas all the time the aerophagia is occuring. However, why should not eating make aerophagia worse?

quote:then I started eating smaller meals throughout the day and the gas went away

This observation doesn't make much sense. Gas can either come from food (through bacteria) or the atmosphere through aerophagia, so eating by definition increases gas. So I wonder how you knew you had any gas? It just may be that you were observing things differently when you were not eating and falsely concluding it affected the gas. One would have to take formal countings over a long period (eating vs not eating) to get a good observation.

 

[Guest]

re flux (appropriate)...This forum is promoted to enhance communications and understanding of the condition referred to as IBS. Your opinions and knowledge are appreciated, however I would suggest you attempt to refrain from using excess levels of techical terminology that, you know well, will not likely be understood by most of the subscribers. Just say what you want to say in a language that is conducive to communications and leave the rest to documenting whatever major medical revelations you may be hatching.In reference to the subject at hand, I find it interesting that you would rebut the testimony and general opinons of over a hundred easily researchable internet references. Have you not ever swallowed air? Is this not a commonly accepted manifestation that results in burping, flatus and general abdominal discomfort? The MMC (Migrating Motor Complex..a series of involuntary contractions that sweep the digestive system of debris) is indeed a factor that would tend to confuse the issue of whether air/gas would not be held in the digestive system, and at the phase III point (the level of most intense MMC activity) it would seem likely that all materials would have been flushed. However,by the admission of even the most informed of researchers and physicians, there is MUCH that we don't know about IBS and its associated symptoms. We do know that the MMC and subsequent Phase III spikes are NOT present in diabetic Gastroparesis, and also fail to occur in certain bacterial infections and diarrhea. Therefore, who is to say with certainty that these conditions do not exist in many IBS patients and may well result in the gross flatulence reported by so many. I think it best to keep an open mind as to what could be, rather than Pick at IBS sufferers with what you think "outta be".

 

[Guest]

re flux (appropriate)...This forum is promoted to enhance communications and understanding of the condition referred to as IBS. Your opinions and knowledge are appreciated, however I would suggest you attempt to refrain from using excess levels of techical terminology that, you know well, will not likely be understood by most of the subscribers. Just say what you want to say in a language that is conducive to communications and leave the rest to documenting whatever major medical revelations you may be hatching.In reference to the subject at hand, I find it interesting that you would rebut the testimony and general opinons of over a hundred easily researchable internet references. Have you not ever swallowed air? Is this not a commonly accepted manifestation that results in burping, flatus and general abdominal discomfort? The MMC (Migrating Motor Complex..a series of involuntary contractions that sweep the digestive system of debris) is indeed a factor that would tend to confuse the issue of whether air/gas would not be held in the digestive system, and at the phase III point (the level of most intense MMC activity) it would seem likely that all materials would have been flushed. However,by the admission of even the most informed of researchers and physicians, there is MUCH that we don't know about IBS and its associated symptoms. We do know that the MMC and subsequent Phase III spikes are NOT present in diabetic Gastroparesis, and also fail to occur in certain bacterial infections and diarrhea. Therefore, who is to say with certainty that these conditions do not exist in many IBS patients and may well result in the gross flatulence reported by so many. I think it best to keep an open mind as to what could be, rather than Pick at IBS sufferers with what you think "outta be".

 

[Ugh]

If you know the different ways that gas can be created then I'm not sure why you'd think it's physically possible to have more gas when not eating. I guess you could swallow air, but I don't understand why you'd swallow more air when not eating. You could also maybe pass older, food produced gas, while not eating because of some kind of intestinal disturbances I guess. But as for the actual creation of gas during fasting, I don't understand by what mechanism you think gas is formed. I guess it might be possible, because of altered motility or something, to have more gas while eating less food, but this seems unlikely to me.4Willie, what have you read that makes you think air swallowing is a common form of gas? Everything I've seen points to it being very uncommon.

 

[Ugh]

If you know the different ways that gas can be created then I'm not sure why you'd think it's physically possible to have more gas when not eating. I guess you could swallow air, but I don't understand why you'd swallow more air when not eating. You could also maybe pass older, food produced gas, while not eating because of some kind of intestinal disturbances I guess. But as for the actual creation of gas during fasting, I don't understand by what mechanism you think gas is formed. I guess it might be possible, because of altered motility or something, to have more gas while eating less food, but this seems unlikely to me.4Willie, what have you read that makes you think air swallowing is a common form of gas? Everything I've seen points to it being very uncommon.

 

[Guest]

Ugh...good post..I would have to say that air swallowing is perhaps the easiest way to produce superfluous "gas"...and rememeber the term gas is perhaps a misnomer..the term used only as "gaseous material" and could include "air" or other gases. It is as easy as searching a good search engine such as www.google.com for air swallowing...the references as common are many.And BTW, with all this other "stuff" going on here, I should have stated that I am certain that fasting and not eating can result in flatulence...one has only to try it and see. Eating does it too, more or less, and perhaps for different reasons...like I said, Im not sure the subject doesnt bear more investigation.And reengaging the original question from AD, I have heard that drinking any liquid in an effort to force the bolus down or even to "chase it" would cause or make it more likely to trap air in the stomach, resulting in more "gas". Though drinking liquid after eating is considered a wise and prudent thing to do...interesting at the very least.