People who have problems with excess intestinal gas are often advised to exercise, even though the benefit is unproven. Recent research suggests that this may be good advice. Physical exercise facilitates intestinal gas evacuation, and may thus prevent abdominal symptoms related to gas retention such as bloating. The current study provides experimental support for a heretofore unproven recommendation frequently made by physicians. Although the study shows that exercise can help reduce excess gas in healthy people, the effect of exercise in people with irritable bowel syndrome or bloating is still unknown. Researchers from the Hospital General Vail in Barcelona studied 8 healthy adults who had a gas mixture pumped into their small intestine. A catheter was placed in the rectum to collect and measure the release of gas. The researchers measured how much gas was evacuated at rest and when participants pedalled on a modified exercise bike. During a 2-hour period of rest, participants released 10 percent less gas than was pumped into them. During exercise, however, more gas was released than was pumped in, meaning that participants were releasing some gas produced by the body, too. Also, swelling of the gut caused by excess gas diminished during physical activity. However, whether exercise can relieve symptoms of excess gas is uncertain since people in the study did not report much discomfort while resting or exercising. The researchers are not certain on how exercise relieves excess gas, but one possibility is that exercise gets rid of gas by increasing pressure in the abdomen. Further research is needed to ascertain these benefits.
American Journal of Medicine,
May 2004