[Intestinal malabsorption of starch and gas production in the colon]

The amount of dietary starch released in the colon, its excretion in the stools, the hydrogen and methane resulting from its fermentation, were measured in six healthy volunteers, ingesting two diets, rich and low in starch (100 and 300 grams). Regardless of the diet, approximately 5% of the ingested starch was malabsorbed in the small bowel and completely metabolized in the colon. While the amount of malabsorbed starch was 2.5 times higher with 300 g than with 100 g, the volumes of hydrogen exhaled were not different. This suggests that the responsibility of alimentary substrates in the production of colic gas is overestimated.