Why beans make you fart

Many things in life have the potential to cause a person to fart. Consuming beans is an example of one of these. However, why does eating beans cause a person to pass gas?

There are several explanations for this. To begin, beans are an excellent source of fibre. When we eat meals that are high in fibre, our digestive systems have to work a little bit harder to break them down than when we eat foods that are low in fibre. 

This method of decomposing fibre can result in the production of gas. Beans are highly nutritious and rich in various important vitamins and minerals, including potassium, magnesium, folate, iron, and zinc. According to Alissa Palladino, here are some reasons why beans make you fart.

1. They’re high in fibre

Beans are high in dietary fibre, a plant compound that resists digestion as it moves through your digestive tract. They’re particularly rich in soluble fibre, a type of fibre that absorbs water in the digestive tract to form a thick, gel-like texture.

Soluble fibre is associated with a long list of health benefits, including improved digestive regularity and blood sugar management, lowered LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, and enhanced heart health. 

However, increasing your fibre intake too quickly can also cause negative side effects, including gas and bloating. Once dietary fibre reaches the colon, it’s fermented by the beneficial bacteria that live there. Gas is a byproduct of that fermentation. 

2. Rich in raffinose

Beans also contain a compound called raffinose. It’s a type of non-digestible carbohydrate also found in foods like cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.

Due to the lack of an enzyme called alpha-galactosidase in the human digestive tract, raffinose is generally poorly digested. Therefore, raffinose can pass through the stomach and small intestine undigested and enter the large intestine, where it’s fermented by gut bacteria.

This results in the production of gases, including methane, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide, which cause flatulence and bloating. 

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