National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Gas is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
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National Institutes of Health
Gas
Also called: Belch, Burp, Eructation, Flatulence, Flatus
Everyone has gas. Most people produce about 1 to 4 pints a day and pass gas about 14 times a day. Passing gas through the mouth is called belching or burping. Passing gas through the rectum is called flatulence. Most of the time gas does not have an odor. The odor comes from bacteria in the large intestine that release small amounts of gases that contain sulfur.
Gas in the digestive tract comes from two sources: air that you swallow and the breakdown of undigested food by bacteria in the large intestine. Certain foods may cause gas. Foods that produce gas in one person may not cause gas in another. Drinking lots of water and non-fizzy drinks and chewing food more to lessen the amount of air you swallow when you eat can help reduce gas. For people with lactose intolerance, avoiding milk products will help.
NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
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Start Here
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Gas in the Digestive Tract(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
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Gas in the Digestive Tract
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
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Learn More
, and
Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
, and
For You
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For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
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Overviews
- Belching, Bloating and Flatulence(American College of Gastroenterology)
- Also available in Spanish
- Gas and Bloating (Beyond the Basics)(UpToDate)
- Gas and Gas Pains(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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What I Need to Know about Gas
(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Also available in Spanish
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Treatment
- Treatment of Gas(International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders)
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Nutrition
- Foods That May Cause Gas(International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders)
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Health Check Tools
- Excessive Gas(DSHI Systems)
- Return to top
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Anatomy/Physiology
- Atlas of Human Body: Digestive System(American Medical Association)
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Your Digestive System and How It Works(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Flatulence(National Institutes of Health)
- Return to top
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Flatulence
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Dictionaries/Glossaries
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Digestive Diseases Dictionary(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Also available in Spanish
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Digestive Diseases Dictionary
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Directories
- Find a Gastroenterologist(American College of Gastroenterology)
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Organizations
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Children
- Burping Your Baby(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- What's a Fart?(Nemours Foundation)
- Why Do I Burp?(Nemours Foundation)
- Return to top
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Patient Handouts
- Abdominal bloating
- Also available in Spanish
- Belching
- Also available in Spanish
- Bland diet
- Also available in Spanish
- Gas - flatulence
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
