This Is Why You Stink: Protein And Gas

I take it that you’re on a very high-protein diet.

What gave it away?, you ask.

Ummmmm, nothing but the stink cloud that’s following you as you’ve been crop-dusting the area with noxious fumes you were hoping someone else would get blamed for!

OMG, THAT SHIT SMELLS RANK!!!

*puts on gas mask*

So what’s the cause of the vile aroma that you’re tooting all over the place?

Why, oh why do you stink?

Well, as I accurately guessed, you’re on a high-protein diet. Now, because the flatulence you’re making us all suffer through most likely coincides with when you increased your protein intake, it’s easy to assume that you passing more foul gas than you previously were is because of all the protein you’re eating.¹Seriously, we’d grown to live with your flatulence but this most recent foulness is just damn unbearable and would even offend the senses of PePé Le Pew! While that’s a good guess grounded in sound thinking, it would be wrong!

According to research, the average person breaks wind upwards of 15 times per day, most of which isn’t of the room-clearing variety. When farting more often than that and/or people routinely have to evacuate the premises when you let one rip, you have to look at what you’re eating. On this front, studies have discovered no evidence that eating a high amount of protein increases the likelihood of farting more, though there are certain types of amino acids present in protein that can intensify the smell.²Cysteine is an amino acid that contains sulfur and is present in many protein sources, such as poultry, eggs, beef, and whole grains. When this amino acid gets broken down by gut bacteria, hydrogen sulfide is produced, which has a very pungent odor.

That being the case that the stench and volume of flatus isn’t largely attributable to protein, then what’s to blame for all the butt trumpeting?

The answer is the nonprotein elements in many of the high-protein foods that make up a high-protein diet. As it turns out, the sugars, starches, and fiber, as well as additives, in many of the high-protein foods that are part of a high-protein diet are hard to digest and get fermented by bacteria in the colon. Either that, or they digest too easily and bring about a rapid increase of bacteria in the gut. Whatever the case, the end result is gaseous byproducts that, while in the presence of others, you allow to escape from your body as a fart that’s foul enough to be deemed as a crime against humanity rather than excusing yourself to a less densely populated area like someone who has regard for the sanctity of life.

Now that we’ve squared away that so-called “protein farts” aren’t actually farts caused by protein, what can you do to reduce or eliminate them? The good news for all of our olfactory senses is that you can do a lot!

Avoid Lactose

Whey concentrate is high in lactose, a sugar that you may not be able to fully digest. If your protein supplement products contain whey concentrate, switch them for products with whey isolate. The filtration process used to make whey isolate yields whey protein with less lactose, which you should have an easier time digesting. If that doesn’t work, opt for protein supplement products that aren’t derived from milk-based sources. Examples include egg, soy, hemp, and pea protein powder. Lastly, to cut down your lactose intake even further, you may want to consider using almond milk, coconut water, and other non-dairy liquids in place of moo juice when consuming protein shakes.

Avoid Sugar Alcohols

Many protein powders contain sugar alcohols. These low-calorie sweeteners that help provide flavor have a chemical structure similar to sugar but because they also resemble the structure of alcohol, they’re not digested in the same way as sugar. Instead of being fully absorbed, they’re fermented by bacteria in the small intestine, which can result in gastrointestinal problems. To reduce the possibility of gas, as well as stomach cramps, bloating, and diarrhea, check product labels for xylitol, erythritol, sorbitol, maltitol, mannitol, isomalt, and lactitol.

Limit Certain Foods

There are some foods that are commonly known to cause gas because the body can’t process them as well as it does others. Some of these foods are cheese and other milk-based dairy because of lactose; raisins and prunes because of the high fiber and low water content; beans, soy, and lentils because of short-chain oligosaccharides; onions and garlic because of fructans; and cruciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts and cabbage because of the indigestible sugar raffinose and their high sulfur content. Because many of these foods provide vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are vital to your health and wellbeing, you should limit, not eliminate, their consumption.³In some instances, all that’s necessary is to change the way these foods are eaten. For example, soaking beans overnight in water with a small amount of baking soda and then draining and rinsing them helps get rid of the gas-producing sugars that are why beans are notorious for what they’re notorious for. With Brussels sprouts, boiling and then sautéing or roasting them might work to lessen their gas-producing effects. With onions and garlic, eating them cooked instead of raw might make a difference; so too may using powdered onion and garlic rather than their fresh counterparts.

In other instances, it’s about choosing the right foods within a particular food category. For example, probiotic yogurt, kefir, sherbet, cottage cheese, and hard, aged cheeses like Swiss, parmesan, and cheddar are lower in lactose than milk, custard, ice cream, and soft cheeses.

Take Digestive Aids

There are a number of over-the-counter remedies that can help with your smelly problem. One of those is Lactaid, a name-brand supplement that contains lactase enzymes, which make for easier digestion of milk-based products. For beans, soy, and lentils, as well as some root vegetables, look for a product with alpha-galactosidase, an enzyme that breaks down the hard to digest oligosaccharides. To manage gas in general, digestive supplements with activated charcoal or simethicone are your best bet. Supplements with probiotics to restore the beneficial bacteria in your gut flora may also be of service too, as smelly gas may be a result of the number of “bad” bacteria outweighing the number of “good” bacteria.⁴You can also get probiotics from food, such as yogurt, kimchi, tempeh, sauerkraut, and kefir. On this end, look for a probiotic supplement that contains Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium.

Change Behavior

Some changes in the way you do things can help provide gas relief. One is to eat your food slowly and take sips instead of gulps. By taking your time when you eat or drink, you’ll lessen the amount of air you swallow, which travels through the digestive system and gets released as gas out the anus if it doesn’t first get released out the mouth via burping. Along this front, you should avoid carbonated beverages like soda, avoid talking while eating, reduce gum chewing, and not blend or shake your protein powder for too long to prevent the buildup of air.⁵When making a protein shake, it would also help to mix the contents in a closed vessel rather than in an open container.

Something else that helps is to gradually increase your intake of protein and other food to allow your body time to adjust to the increased demand on the digestive system. That means that if you’re trying to bulk and you’re required to eat 3000 calories per day but only eat 1500 calories on a normal basis, you should probably start with 1800 calories and slowly add more and more calories over the course of days and weeks. Doing it that way will be easier on your stomach, as opposed to waking up tomorrow and suddenly eating 3000 calories, which is considerably more than what your body is used to digesting.

Lastly, if you don’t already engage in regular exercise, then you should. At least 30 minutes a day of physical activity is enough to improve digestion in two ways. One is that exercise increases blood flow to the muscles in the digestive system, which helps them massage food through the intestines faster. Walking at least an hour after a meal is another daily habit to pick up that provides the same benefit of stimulating the muscles in the intestines to speed up the process of moving food along the digestive tract. The second way that regular exercise aids digestion is by increasing the number, type, and diversity of the bacteria in the gut.

Glossary: bulk, calories, diet, exercise, muscle, supplement

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