Important new information on Ulcerative Colitis

THE SHORT VERSION

The smelly flatus that most ulcerative colitis (UC) patients have is not merely an embarassment or annoyance, it is likely a real problem. 

The malodorous scent comes from hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), a gas made by certain nasty bacteria in the colon. In addition to being very pungent, hydrogen sulfide is also very toxic - as deadly as hydrogen cyanide in the same concentrations! 

Now there is evidence to show that ulcerative colitis patients don't seem to handle H2S very well. Many medical researchers now feel that H2S damages the colon's cells in those people who are genetically susceptible to UC. So, it makes sense to get rid of H2S if at all possible. 

And now, we know how this is possible:

First, reduce sulfate or sulfur in the diet. Your colon bacteria can not make hydrogen sulfide without getting lots of sulfur from the foods you eat. You can learn which foods are high in sulfur by going to my essay Dietary Therapy for Ulcerative Colitis.  Specifically, meats are very high in certain amino acids that contain sulfur. So reduce meats and other animal protein in your diet very significantly. If it were me, I would stop them entirely for a month or so. Cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cabbage, Brussel sprouts et al) are also high in sulfur. Alas, these very healthy foods may be contributing to H2S production in the colon. So, I would stop these, too, for 8 weeks.

Second: acidify your colon. I know that between heart-burn, acid-reflux and such, people have a poor perception of "acid" - but in the colon, an acidic environment is a good thing. The colon bugs that make hydrogen sulfide need a neutral environment to grow. If there is a lot of acid around, they do not grow and make H2S. Pretty simple. 

How do you do this? Not by eating acid foods such as citrus fruit. You do this by inducing beneficial bacteria in your colon - the Bifidobacter and the Lactobacillus ones - to make acid substances called short chain fatty acids (SCFA).

These SCFAs are incredibly useful substances in the colon, especially for ulcerative colitis patients. They are the very nutrients that the colon's own cells use for healthy growth. So, by stimulating the growth of these Bifido and Lacto good guys, you prevent the formation of H2S and you also nourish your own colon cells, the very ones that are damaged in ulcerative colitis. The best way to do this is to consume a good amount of prebiotic fiber. (Prebiotics are the plant fibers that these good bacteria use to grow themselves.) I recommend a daily dose of Prebiotin for this purpose.

Which brings me to oligofructose enriched inulin: Prebiotin. These special plant food fibers do the trick. 

In my experience and those of my family and friends, the maloderous smell of flatus simply disappears, indicating that H2S is no longer being produced - a nice benefit even for those of us without ulcerative colitis. But more important than this is that my friends who have ulcerative colitis have seen very significant improvement in their symptoms when they did these two things-reduce high sulfur containing foods in their diet and take Prebiotin to acidify their colon. 

So, this is what current medical research is showing us. Were I, a trained gastroenterologist, still in practice, I would start every ulcerative colitis patient on this very simple dietary program and a daily prebiotin regimen. Simply by smelling their flatus, a patient could tell if they are having a good effect. 

The fact is that most GI doctors now know that bacteria bugs in the colon are a major factor in ulcerative colitis, but till now we did not know exactly how this happened. Now, I think we do. 

So this is the "short version" of my own dietary treatment for UC patients. In the near future I will write a longer version which will address the medical evidence to support the above recommendations. Most people, I suspect,  just want to know what will work and what are the side effects. There are no side effects with prebiotics except an increase in the volume of odorless flatus if too much prebiotic is taken. Simply cut back to an acceptable level. 

I would dearly love to hear from UC patients who give this program a try. You should know that you may be on the cutting edge a very new and effective, additional way to treat this very troublesome disorder. What an amazing idea! Taking dietary control of your own medical problem!