The majority of people should produce their own methane

It is a well known fact that humans produce methane, but allow me to show you why it is the case. Firstly, let me offer some reasonable definitions, all taken from trusted and well-known dictionaries. Definitions:methane [1]An odorless, colorless, flammable gas, CH4produce [5]cause (a particular result or situation) to happen or exist. people [6]humans considered as a group or in indefinite numbershuman (the singular of people) [7]of, relating to, or characteristic of humansA1: Methane is produced naturally by humansIn their research, Suarez, Furne, Springfield and Levitt (1997) discuss how methane is produced in the gut, specifically in relation to how flatulence occurs [2]. More specifically, predominately in the colon of the gastrointestinal tract, as a by-product of bacterial fermentation, as was found by Tomlin, Lowis and Read (1991) in their Investigation into human colonic physiology obtained from the study of flatus composition [3]. Further evidence of methane being produced by humans can be observed in the work of Pimentel, Gunsalus, Rao and Zhang (2012) in their work published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology Supplements. They researched into areas such as how methane quantities increased when an increase in the consumption of fatty foods occurred [4]. The underlying premise that humans should produce methane was not only proven with their work, but the discourse has now shifted as to how much methane is produced and under what conditions does the quantity vary. Now, as to the raw statistics to show that whilst methane should be produced by a majority of people, that the numbers do indeed make a majority. A 1990 study, performed by Cloarac et al. , which tested young adults found that over 60% of these people had methane in their breath, which is clearly in the majority [8]. The test involved the consumption of 10 grams of sugar (which is found in most diets), a 14 hour interval, and then testing for gases released through the mouth, including methane and hydrogen. Keep in mind that this is only gas which is released through the mouth, which may not be an accurate indicator of the entirety of people producing methane due to it having to be detected in the mouth. A similar study performed in 1981 found that 75-80% of Nigerians tested had traces of methane within their bodies [9]. The researched involved study into fatty acids, of which can be commonly found in a large variety of fish, nuts, oils (including virgin and extra virgin, both of which are used in cooking) and seeds, so it is reasonable to assume that most people eat these fatty acids, therefore the statistic would likely represent most demographics [10]. Evidently, the majority (>50%) of people should produce their own methane. Counter-arguments:My opponent appears to be arguing against an alternate resolution. However, this appears to be due to confusion rather than malice, so I ask voters not to penalise him/her. References[1] . http://www.thefreedictionary.com...[2] Suarez, F; Furne, J; Springfield, J; Levitt, M (May 1997). "Insights into human colonic physiology obtained from the study of flatus composition. ". The American Journal of Physiology 272 [3] Tomlin, J; Lowis, C; Read, NW (June 1991). "Investigation of normal flatus production in healthy volunteers. ". Gut 32 (6): 665–9. [4] Pimentel, Mark; Robert P Gunsalus; Satish SC Rao; Husen Zhang (2012). "Methanogens in Human Health and Disease". The American Journal of Gastroenterology Supplements 1 (1): 28–33. [5] . http://tinyurl.com...[6] . http://www.thefreedictionary.com...[7] . http://www.merriam-webster.com...[8] . http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...[9] . http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...[10] . http://nutritiondata.self.com...