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Meta-Analysis of the Composition of Human Intestinal Gases

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Abstract

Background

Understanding intestinal gases volume and composition may contribute to diagnosing digestive diseases and the microbiome's status. This meta-analysis aimed to define the composition of human intestinal gases and changes associated with diet.

Methods

Studies were identified by systematic research of the MEDLINE(Ovid), Scopus, and Cochrane databases. Studies that measured the concentration of intestinal gases in healthy adult humans were retrieved. The JBI critical appraisal tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias. The primary outcomes analysed were the concentration of the most prevalent colonic gases. Participants were divided into groups according to dietary fibre content.

Results

Eleven studies were included. The following gases were identified in similar concentrations across all studies (mean ± standard deviation): nitrogen (65.1 ± 20.89%), oxygen (2.3 ± 0.98%), carbon dioxide (9.9 ± 1.6%), hydrogen (2.9 ± 0.7%), and methane (14.4 ± 3.7%). Differences according to the dietary fibre were observed, with a positive correlation between fibre and volume of gas produced, particularly in fermented gases (carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and methane).

Discussion

The meta-analysis has found defined concentrations of the five most common gases present in human colonic gas. Limitations included heterogenic methodologies, a low number of participants, and few recent studies. These findings may be helpful in diagnostic applications where colonic gas volume and composition are crucial factors, including functional disorders, microbiome analyses, and bowel perforation diagnostics.

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Abbreviations

CO2 :

Carbon dioxide

CH4 :

Methane

GC:

Gas chromatography

H2 :

Hydrogen

H2S:

Hydrogen sulphide

IBS:

Irritable bowel syndrome

N2 :

Nitrogen

O2 :

Oxygen

PPM:

Parts per million

SRB:

Sulphate-reducing bacteria

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1023, New Zealand

    Andre Modesto, Nelle-Rose Cameron, Chris Varghese, Ian Bissett & Greg O’Grady

  2. Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand

    Nicolas Peters, Bruce Stokes & Greg O’Grady

  3. Faculty of Science, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand

    Anthony Phillips

Authors
  1. Andre Modesto
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  2. Nelle-Rose Cameron
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  3. Chris Varghese
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  4. Nicolas Peters
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  6. Anthony Phillips
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  7. Ian Bissett
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  8. Greg O’Grady
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Correspondence to Greg O’Grady.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Template data collection forms, data extracted from included studies, data used for analyses, and analytic code are available upon request.

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Appendix

Appendix

See Tables 5 and 6.

Table 5 JBI critical appraisal for analytical cross-sectional studies
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Table 6 JBI critical appraisal for quasi-experimental (nonrandomised experimental) studies
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Modesto, A., Cameron, NR., Varghese, C. et al. Meta-Analysis of the Composition of Human Intestinal Gases. Dig Dis Sci 67, 3842–3859 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-021-07254-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-021-07254-1

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