Digestive Enzymes, Gas, and Lactose Intolerance

by STEPHEN CHRISTENSEN Last Updated: Feb 18, 2014

Digestive gas, or flatulence, results from bacterial fermentation of undigested food in your intestine,
mostly in the colon. According to Phyllis Balch, author of Prescription for Herbal Healing, major changes in
diet, such as a sudden increase in fiber, can contribute to flatulence, as can specific foods, such as high-sugar
meals or dairy products. Excessive bowel gas presents a two-pronged problem for afflicted individuals. As gas
volume increases, it causes abdominal bloating and discomfort. Then, when it is released, flatulence often
carries a disagreeable aroma, which leads to social embarrassment.
Carbohydrates, fats and proteins comprise the nutritional bulk of most meals. These fuel sources are
broken down into smaller and smaller fragments by the muscular activity of your stomach and intestine and by
the chemical activity of digestive enzymes, which are normally produced in your mouth, stomach and
intestine. Invertase, maltase and amylase are carbohydrate-cleaving enzymes, while proteases and lipases break
down proteins and fats, respectively.
The majority of bacteria in your intestine reside in your colon. According to a 2000 Current Issues in
Intestinal Microbiology review, every milliliter of stool in your colon contains approximately one trillion
bacteria. These microorganisms survive and multiply by metabolizing the nutrients that pass through your small
intestine and arrive in your colon. Bacterial fermentation of these nutrients produces gases such as hydrogen,
carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. The more undigested material that bypasses your small intestine, the
greater the bacterial activity in your colon will be.
Digestion begins in your mouth, where salivary enzymes are mixed with your food, and it continues well
into your small intestine. Enzymatic activity is necessary for optimal absorption of the nutrients in your food,
but the efficiency of this process can be impaired by any number of problems, such as salivary gland disorders,
inefficient stomach acid production, pancreatic diseases and bowel conditions such as celiac disease or Crohns
disease. Incomplete enzymatic digestion of foodstuffs or poor intestinal absorption leads to the delivery of a
larger volume of nutrients to the bacteria in your lower intestine and colon.
If you have problems with intestinal gas, sometimes a dietary change, such as decreasing your sugar
intake, will alleviate the problem. An over-the-counter supplement that contains a good mixture of digestive
enzymes could prove beneficial, too. Beano, a well-known remedy for flatulence caused by eating beans, fruit
and other carbohydrates, is simply a digestive enzyme called alpha-galactosidase.
Its estimated that up to 50 million Americans have symptoms of lactose intolerance, a sensitivity to
dairy foods that can cause bloating, gas, cramps and other digestive problems. Humans are born with high levels
of lactase, the enzyme that is required to digest a sugar (lactose) in dairy foods. But the levels drop in the first
years after birth, so by adulthood, many people dont have enough lactase to comfortably digest dairy.
Supplemental lactase will replace the enzyme thats missing from the intestine. People who take lactase
supplements can usually enjoy dairy foods without discomfort.