Passing gas 14 to 23 times a day is completely normal for a healthy adult. If you’ve noticed a sudden increase beyond your usual baseline, the cause is almost always something you changed recently: a new food, a new habit, or a shift in your digestive balance. Here’s how to figure out what’s driving it and what to do about it.
Your Diet Changed
The single most common reason for a spike in gas is a change in what you’re eating. Your large intestine is home to trillions of bacteria, and their primary job is fermenting the carbohydrates your small intestine couldn’t fully break down. More fermentable material reaching those bacteria means more gas as a byproduct. It’s that simple.
The carbohydrates that produce the most gas fall into a group called FODMAPs, which are found across a surprisingly wide range of foods. Beans, lentils, and chickpeas are the classic offenders, but you’ll also find high amounts in onions, garlic, wheat, rye, apples, pears, mushrooms, cauliflower, and many dairy products. If you recently started eating more of any of these, that’s likely your answer.
A few specific scenarios stand out. If you’ve been eating more fruits, the culprit is often excess fructose or sorbitol. If you’ve added more whole grains or started a high-fiber diet, fructans in those grains are probably feeding your gut bacteria overtime. If you’ve picked up protein bars, sugar-free gum, or diet drinks, check the label for sugar alcohols like sorbitol, xylitol, or erythritol. These are poorly absorbed and heavily fermented in the colon.
The good news is that your gut bacteria often adapt to dietary changes within a few weeks. If you recently increased your fiber intake, for instance, the gas typically calms down as your microbiome adjusts. The key is to increase fiber gradually rather than all at once.
You Might Be Swallowing Extra Air
Not all gas is produced in your gut. A significant portion comes from air you swallow, which has to exit one way or another. Several everyday habits increase how much air you take in:
- Eating too fast or talking while eating
- Chewing gum or sucking on hard candy
- Drinking through straws
- Carbonated drinks (soda, sparkling water, beer)
- Smoking
If your increased gas comes with more burping too, swallowed air is a strong suspect. Slowing down at meals, taking sips from a glass instead of a straw, and cutting back on carbonation can make a noticeable difference within days.
Lactose or Fructose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance affects a large portion of the global adult population, and it can develop or worsen at any age. Your body produces less lactase (the enzyme that digests milk sugar) as you get older, so dairy that never bothered you before can start causing problems in your twenties, thirties, or later. Symptoms usually show up within a few hours of eating dairy: gas, bloating, cramping, and sometimes diarrhea.
Fructose intolerance works similarly. If your small intestine can’t absorb all the fructose you eat, the excess travels to your colon where bacteria ferment it into gas. High-fructose corn syrup, honey, agave, apples, and mangoes are common triggers. If you’ve recently started drinking more smoothies, fruit juice, or sweetened beverages, fructose could be the issue.
A simple way to test either one: cut out the suspected food group for two to three weeks, then reintroduce it. If the gas returns within hours, you’ve found your trigger.
Bacterial Overgrowth in the Small Intestine
Your small intestine normally has relatively few bacteria compared to your colon. When bacteria colonize the small intestine in larger numbers than they should, a condition called SIBO, they start fermenting carbohydrates earlier in the digestive process. That means more gas production overall, plus bloating, abdominal discomfort, and sometimes diarrhea or fatty stools.
SIBO is worth considering if your gas increase came with other digestive symptoms and doesn’t improve with dietary changes. It’s diagnosed through a breath test and is treatable.
Stress and Disrupted Routines
Your gut and your nervous system are tightly connected. Stress, anxiety, and poor sleep can all alter how quickly food moves through your digestive tract. When transit slows down, food sits longer in the colon and ferments more, producing extra gas. Stress also tends to change eating habits: eating faster, choosing more processed or comfort foods, or skipping meals and then overeating. All of these feed into the problem.
If your increase in gas coincides with a stressful period, a change in schedule, travel, or disrupted sleep, the connection is probably not a coincidence.
How to Track Down the Cause
The most effective tool is a simple food and symptom diary. For one to two weeks, write down what you eat, when you eat it, and when gas or bloating hits. Patterns tend to emerge quickly. You might notice that gas peaks four to six hours after meals heavy in beans or dairy, or that it’s worse on days you chew gum at your desk.
Once you identify a likely trigger, try removing it for two to three weeks. If the improvement is clear, you have your answer. For high-gas foods you don’t want to give up entirely, enzyme supplements can help. Products containing alpha-galactosidase (sold as Beano and similar brands) break down the specific carbohydrates in beans and vegetables before your gut bacteria can ferment them. Clinical trials have shown significant symptom improvement with these supplements.
For lactose intolerance, lactase enzyme tablets taken with dairy work on the same principle. They supply the enzyme your body isn’t making enough of.
Signs Something More Serious Is Happening
Increased gas by itself is rarely a sign of a serious medical problem. But if it comes alongside any of the following, it’s worth getting checked out: blood in your stool, unexplained weight loss, persistent diarrhea or constipation, a change in how often you have bowel movements, or ongoing nausea and vomiting. These combinations can signal conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, or other digestive disorders that need proper diagnosis.
Gas that doesn’t respond to any dietary changes after several weeks also deserves a closer look, since conditions like SIBO or carbohydrate malabsorption are treatable once identified.