Abstract

Our primary objectives were to determine if orally administered charcoal effectively decreased intestinal gas, and relieved subjective symptoms associated with a high gas producing meal.

The adsorptive properties of charcoal for those gases usually found in intestines (CO2, H2, CH4, H2S) were first tested by placing measured samples of each gas alone with weighted samples of activated charcoal in a respirometer.

The degree of adsorption of each gas by charcoal was determined. Charcoal effectively adsorbed H2 and CO2.

A group of normal human males were fed a gas producing or non-gas producing meal by a double blind method and given three charcoal or identically colored placebo starch capsules at meal time and two hours after the meal. Each subject was asked to record the time of occurrence of each flatus event and any subjective feelings of gas.

Results showed that there was considerable reduction in the number oi flatus events in subjects taking charcoal after gas producing meals. Breath hydrogen level is a good indication of intestinal hydrogen production. Gas chromatographic analyses of breath samples showed considerably reduced hydrogen gas levels in subjects taking charcoal following a high gas producing meal.

Charcoal also considerably reduced subjective symptoms of abdominal distress or fullness associated with a gas producing meal.

LLU Discipline

Physiology

Department

Philosophy

School

Graduate School

First Advisor

Raymond G. Hall

Second Advisor

Don D. Rafuse

Third Advisor

Kenneth A. Arendt

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Level

M.S.

Year Degree Awarded

1979

Date (Title Page)

6-1979

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Flatulence; Charcoal

Type

Thesis

Page Count

iii; 17

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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