Why do beans cause flatulence?

First of all, let me say that I am most emphatically NOT a troll. Afterall, note my use of the word “flatulence” rather than fart, cut the cheese, ride the stinky train, etc.

I am just a curious guy.

But not a troll.


Blessed are the Fundamentalists, for they shall inhibit the earth.
*

From Not just a hill of beans:

By the way, beano works because it contains an enzyme that allows us to break down the otherwise difficult-to-digest carbohydrates (oligosaccharides).


Work is the curse of the drinking classes. (Oscar Wilde)

From page 80 of The Straight Dope (the first book):

[quote]
…The noble bean, for instance, contains complex sugars that can not be broken down by the body’s digestive juices. Upon arriving in the colon, these sugars are set upon vigorously by the resident microbes, and the resultant fermentation produces the cheerful calliope effect celebrated in such cinematic masterworks as Blazing Saddles


The Sony model STRA-V1010 is a good stereotype.

um…
[/quote]
.

Whatever.


The Sony model STRA-V1010 is a good stereotype.

  • Thanks for the question, Breckinshire! * Beans have never affected me with gas, while I have a friend that can really clear a room, BUT, I’ve always gotten horrible headaches, so I don’t eat beans for * that reason * never knowing that bean consumption and the headaches were connected!

Ha! Learn something new practically every other day!