Vegans are smelly people, says science.
A study has found that men on a primarily plant-based diet pass more gas than men who eat a meat-based diet. The same study also shows that those on a vegan diet have healthier gut bacteria and better overall colon health.
The Study:
The study, published in the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, analysed how diet can affect gut health. This included looking at stool samples and monitoring flatulence, which, let's face it, the researchers probably drew straws for.
The study showed two dietary groups, one being low fat, fibre-enriched Mediterranean-style diet (FMD). The other was a high fat western-type diet (WD).
Typically speaking, WD participants consumed meats and dairy products while FMD subjects ate vegetables, fruits, and legumes.
There were only twenty participants, all men between the ages of 18 and 38. All of the men were assigned one of the diets they had to stick to for two weeks, after which they took a two-week break and then undertook another two weeks on the opposite diet.
Their findings:
The study showed that FMD subjects produced more stool but also stool of a softer consistency. They also found that, on average, those on the FMD diets were farting up to seven times more a day.
How did they find that out? Well, to gain a base knowledge of the subjects usual fart level, they were fed a test meal of stewed beans. Then, balloons were fitted to the men's rectums, and they monitored the gas level.
They found that each fart contained about 50 per cent more gas, and they were farting more often when on the FMD path.
“Our Western idea that farting is a sign of something being wrong is totally false,” Rosemary Stanton from the University of New South Wales told
New Scientist.
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