Sulfur dioxide preservatives in dried fruit, sulfites in wine, and the putrefaction of undigested animal protein in the colon can release hydrogen sulfide, the rotten egg gas associated with inflammatory bowel disease.

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More than 35 years ago studies started (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/412611) implicating sulfur dioxide preservatives in the exacerbation of asthma. This so-called “sulfite-sensitivity” seems to affect only about (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8586770) 1 in 2000 people, so I recommended those with asthma avoid it, but otherwise I considered the preservative harmless. I am now not so sure, and advise people to avoid it when possible. How could companies just add things to foods without adequate safety testing? See Who Determines if Food Additives are Safe? (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-determines-if-food-additives-are-safe/) For other additives that may be a problem, see Titanium Dioxide & Inflammatory Bowel Disease (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/titanium-dioxide-inflammatory-bowel-disease/) and Is Carrageenan Safe? (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/)

For more on the relationship between hydrogen sulfide and inflammatory bowel disease, see my video Preventing Ulcerative Colitis with Diet (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-ulcerative-colitis-with-diet/). More on this epid fermentation battle in our gut in Stool pH and Colon Cancer (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-ph-and-colon-cancer/).

Does the sulfur-containing amino acid methionine sound familiar? You may remember it from such hits as Starving Cancer with Methionine Restriction (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/) and Methionine Restriction as a Life Extension Strategy (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/).

These short chain fatty acids released by our good bacteria when we eat fiber and resistant starches is what may be behind the second meal effect: Beans and the Second Meal Effect (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-effect/).

What about Crohn’s? Glad you asked! See Preventing Crohn’s Disease With Diet (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-crohns-disease-with-diet/) and Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/).

Have a question for Dr. Greger about this video? Leave it in the comment section at http://nutritionfacts.org/video/bowel-wars-hydrogen-sulfide-vs-butyrate and he'll try to answer it!

Image Credit: OpenClips via Pixabay.

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