Methane Production in the Gut

Although gas production in the human intestinal tract has long been a topic of considerable interest to the lay public, this subject has received little scientific attention. Much of what is known about bacterial gas production in the gut has resulted from veterinary studies. This disproportionate attention to the “gas” of animals is motivated not by concern for their flatulent discomfort but rather for the financial implications of gas production in ruminants. Methane, the primary constituent of natural gas, is liberated in the rumen by strictly anerobic organisms via a reaction in which carbon dioxide is reduced to methane by.