And I’m not talkin’ a little “toot-toot” while I’m running – by about 2pm every day I feel as though I need to stick a pin in myself to relieve some of the pressure. MISERABLE. It is a huge problem for running and I’m concerned about my upcoming HIM performance.
I’ve drastically decreased my fiber intake, but I’m wondering what else I’m eating that could have this effect. I read somewhere that the type of sugar used in sports drinks and nutrition products can have this effect, but I can’t find the article. Does anyone know which sugars are the best not causing gas?
In general certain types of intestinal gas and bloating may be caused by undigested or partially digested food particles in the lower G.I. These ferment causing gas to form in the intestinal tract. If there is matter in the intestinal track preventing the normal passage of the gas then you experience the discomfort you may be describing.
Often times the answer to this is to visit a G.I. specialist. They may diagnose fiber therapy such as Citrucel to induce more complete emptying of the lower G.I. system. You mentioned you reduced your fiber intact, and it is possible (although I’m certainly not a doctor or a G.I. expert) this may be the opposite approach to what you need. Any dietary change that woud facilitate more complete emptying of the gastro-intestinal system is likely to improve improve these symptoms.
I’ve had bad stomach problems since getting sick in a third world country in 1999 from bad water. I have take Citrucel twice a day and really have to watch my fluid intake- hydration is another factor. If you are dehydrated it is tough for your G.I. system to empty completely and matter may become lodged in there (yuck).
There are more invasive therapies like colonics but that is pretty strong voodoo and even not allowed in some states. You’re likely best served to consult a G.I. specialist and try to make dietary changes.
Decreasing my fiber intake has taken the edge off the pressure/pain, so I can’t imagine going back to eating that much fiber (or more fiber for that matter). I’ll try to increase my water intake even more, but I’m a fairly well hydrated person. I guess a trip to a GI specialist is next. I think I’ll pass on the colonic…
My wife deals with people in your situation daily in her work as a nutrition coach. She says you probably are feeding an 8 foot tape worm, ha, just kidding. She suggested you MAY be experiencing an overgrowth of the Candida yeast, something quite prevelant in athletes who eat a western diet high in sugar and empty carbs. She agrees with Tom that reduction in fiber is not what you need, what you should try is a high quality pro-biotic regiment to repopulate your gut with good flora and reduce the sugar content of your diet as much as possible. The first stages of this “repopulation” can cause symptoms to get worse, but you need to look at it as a cleansing process. It will take time, sometimes months, to reverse the bacteria progression.
Good luck
Here’s more:
Candida is a condition of the digestive tract that can result in many common digestive symptoms. Bloating usually isn’t considered as a major symptom when you’re dealing with more urgent things like diarrhea, fatigue, thrush, cramps and fatigue, but bloating is a well-known symptom of Candida.
Candida’s natural job inside the human body is to help in digestion. It helps to ferment food and in the process, it naturally produces carbon dioxide, which causes flatulence. But those that believe that Candida can grow out of control, even inside those with healthy immune systems (something modern medical science strongly believes is impossible) believe that with large amounts of Candida, come large amounts of carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide, in turn, causes severe and sometimes painful bloating.
Candida goes on to irritate the lining of your stomach and intestines so that you aren’t able to properly absorb the nutrients in your food, leading to battles of constipation or diarrhoea. Candida is believed to be the number one cause of IBS or irritable bowel syndrome. What makes Candida so controversial is that as it spreads, it’s believed that the Candida spreads large amounts of toxins in the human body, therefore causing a wide range of symptoms that makes diagnosis essentially impossible.
Yes, usually lactose intolerance can cause a lot of gas… depending how sensitive you are to the different types of cheese, milk, etc… Some people get away with cottage cheese, nonfat yogurt, skim milk… others can feel even a little trace of any lactose… It’s best to avoid dairy prior to run workouts, especially speedwork.
I had a 10 day stomach bug in May, not very pleasant. It was going around work. One of the side effects was that it made me lactose intolerant for 4-5 weeks after, which was almost as bad. I’m not a big dairy person. I don’t drink milk or like cheese, but love ice cream. I thought I was gonna die. It almost felt worse than the stomach bug. It sounds like what you described, my stomach was going to explode. Sometimes it was so bad, my dogs would give me dirty looks. I started to pay attention to what I ate and avoided all dairy. I’m a big fan of food and eating in general, but I pretty much only ate enough so I could train and not pass out. The stomach pain associated was just not worth it until I figured out it was a lactose intolerance issue.
I never eat dairy before a long ride/run or a race, which come to think of it, are the few times I don’t have severe stomach problems. I’ll have to investigate this further.
If you want to get technical it’s actually a yeast. And yes, there is a difference.
Yes, yeast is a fungus, but some differences from other typical fungi are:
Yeasts are unicellular.
Yeast can reproduce by budding.
Yeast can use aerobic respiration to get maximum ATPs from each glucose molecule, but they can use fermentation when oxygen is lacking. With fermentation they can still get 2 ATPs from each glucose, and the end products are alcohol and carbon dioxide.
