Wheat, resistant starch, gas and bloating
#330379 - 05/30/08 10:11 AM
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Zara
Reged: 06/07/06
Posts: 883
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I'm trying to make sense out of various information that I've read/was given by doctors.
I've read that wheat can contribute to bloating because it contains resistant starch that gas-producing bacteria in our intestines feeds on. That makes sense. But then I thought that rice and potatoes also contained resistant starch since they are starches. Rice is almost universally recommended for bloating and stomach distress. What I don't understand is, wouldn't the gas-producing bacteria that feeds on wheat also like to feed on rice? What is the difference between the resistant starch in wheat and in rice that can affect your gut?
I have noticed that ever since cutting wheat out of my diet I have a lot less gas, and it's a lot less smelly. Definitely helps me in regular life as I don't have to try to hold my gas in. But the bloating has not gone away. I was always told by my GI that bloating was gas. Well, I don't have any more gas than a healthy person but I'm still bloated like a balloon. Am I thinking right that this bloating is a result of my colon being irritated and perhaps mildly inflamed? When I have an inflamed wound on my hand, the area is always a little swollen. Perhaps the intestine is the same.
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IBS-C, bloating, cramps
pregnant 
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Unfortunately, I don't have answers to all of your questions, but two things popped into my head. Rice is indeed a starch, but I'm not positive that it is a resistant starch like wheat. Rice is unique though, in that that it is the only food that is entirely digested in your stomach before it ever hits your intestines. So there is no way intestinal bacteria can feed on rice, nor can it cause intestinal gas.
Second, there is a difference between bloating and distension. I constantly complain about my bloating, but I really am experiencing both bloating and distension. Bloating is an uncomfortable, full feeling that most people experience at one time or another (after Thanksgiving dinner?). Distension, on the other hand, is when your belly actually protrudes out. So maybe your doctor is right, that gas does cause bloating. But maybe it's not the cause of distension. I'm starting to wonder if every doctor I ever complained about my bloating too really understood what I was talking about.
I totally buy your theory that distension is caused by intestinal (or in my case intestinal and bladder) inflammation. I've often thought this myself, though unfortunately I don't have a solution for it.
Have you read at all about the "leaky gut" theory?
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IBS-C
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The idea that the starch in rice and potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods is completely digested in the small intestine is an old idea that is no longer considered correct. As a result of these and other findings the food labeling regulations changed. You can read more about these changes in this message . When cooked and then cooled rice produces a resistant starch - a starch that acts like a SF. Resistant starch is not digested in the small intestine but is fermented by colonic bacteria. Resistant starch can account for 10-15% of the starch found in rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods.
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When you say you have cut out wheat from your diet, and you find you feel better, does this also mean all bread? Could it be possible that it is the yeast that you have problems with? And if you are still having gas/bloating, maybe it is because you are still eating yeast in other non-wheat foods. Gas/bloating are sure indicators for me that there is hidden yeast in foods I am eating.
It may not be gas-producing bacteria you are having problems with. It could also be a yeast/fungus problem, and that can be a problem in any part of your body, not just your intestines. As well, fungus/yeast causes inflammation. Just something to think about. Don't know it it applies to you.
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Fen, thanks, I guess what I really mean by bloating is distention. I didn't realize these two could mean different things. Although then I don't understand why my doc wouldn't have pointed that out to me, he said that "some people are just bloaters"  . I don't think he gets it, just like you said. Doctors are very helpful (I'm glad he did all tests possible to exclude other possible problems) but sometimes so frustrating to deal with.
I have read about LG but I don't think it applies to me.
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IBS-C, bloating, cramps
pregnant
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Syl, thanks for reminding me about this message. I read it in the past but forgot about it.
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IBS-C, bloating, cramps
pregnant
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Kim, yes, I also cosidered this problem. I don't eat anything with yeast. For a few weeks I even tried to eat according to the Fungus Link like you're doing but I actually felt worse than ever. I had so much pain that it was unbearable. So I had to add certain grains and potatoes, contamination or not, because I felt like my intestines were going to burst open. I was waiting for the pain to go away but finally after two weeks I gave up.
When I said I have less gas it doesn't actually mean that I feel better, if that makes sense. I'm still in a lot of pain and the bloating/distention is there. I just have less (and less smelly) gas to pass.
Right now I'm still avoiding most sugar (except from fruit), flour, baked goods... Although I did have a lot of watermelon in the past two days (I love it which is why I won't buy it again) so that could be the culprit (all that fructose). But I've been very good on the previous days to no avail. It takes time, I know.
Bacteria is definitely on my mind so right now I'm trying to combine EFI and Pimentel's approach. I actually feel that these two complement each other very well, none of them recommends to eat foods that the other one cuts out.
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IBS-C, bloating, cramps
pregnant
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Zara,
I am also confused about many of the same things as you. Since beginning the EFI diet I have completely eliminated my C. I go to the bathroom every single night. In addition, I normally don't have a lot of gas either, unless I eat something wrong. YET I am still extremely bloated. The only explanations I've ever heard for bloating were gas and C. Since I don't have any of these anymore, it should stand that bloating would go away...but no. I guess I have absolutely no advice for you except to say I definitely feel your pain!
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