20 things to know about farts

No matter your gender, age, or nationality, we all have one thing in common. We fart. While flatulence remains taboo in many cultures, it is essential for good health. Let’s take an unabashed look at everything you should know about intestinal gas.

People expel between 0.5 and 1.5 litres (0.13 and 0.39 gallons) of gas from their rectums each day, equal to between 182.5 and 547.5 litres (48 and 145 gallons) of gas per year. That’s enough to fill a small pool.

A normal person farts approximately 12 to 25 times per day. While you may think you don’t break that much wind each day, you may simply be unaware of your farting. In fact, flatulence occurs at all hours of the day and night. Yep, you fart while you sleep…

Contrary to public opinion, not all intestinal gas smells bad. In fact, less than 1% of farts are malodorous. The rest of the time, flatulence is practically imperceptible.

Do you experience flatulence in the afternoon and evening? That’s normal. But farting that occurs two to three hours after the midday meal is caused by your breakfast, not your lunch. If you eat just before bed, you are more likely to pass gas during the night or first thing in the morning.

Chemically speaking, most farts are composed of hydrogen (H₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and methane (CH₄). Certain gases, in particular hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), produce a smell of rotten eggs. The human nose can easily detect even small quantities of this gas.

Everyone takes in a little air throughout the day, but did you know that sucking in too much air can cause bloating, burping, and…farting? After all, accumulated air must, sooner or later, leave the body somehow, whether through the mouth or the rectum.

To reduce the symptoms of aerophagia, eat more slowly and chew each bite well.

Flatulence is a daily occurrence for many pregnant women. Increased hormone levels caused by pregnancy slow down the gastrointestinal tract, turning it into the perfect place for gas to develop. What’s more, pregnant women have less control over their muscles, making it more difficult for them to hold in their gas.

Just before and during menstruation, some women fart more than average. Fluctuating hormones, namely estrogen and progesterone, may be responsible for this phenomenon.

Before menstruation starts, cells in the uterus’s mucus membrane release prostaglandins, fatty acids that function like hormones. In excessive quantities, prostaglandins end up in the bloodstream, where they cause other smooth muscles to contract, namely those in the intestines. The result can be more frequent farts.

Do you chew gum often, especially after meals? While you may be preventing bad breath, this habit can impair your digestion. In addition to increasing the amount of air you swallow, chewing gum contains artificial sweeteners, components known to give you gas.

In theory, the smelly gas (skatole) expelled by a human being travels at 243 m/s (543.6 mph). In practice, though, it’s difficult to calculate the speed of flatulence because of the many variables for each individual fart, including molecular makeup (i.e., what you ate), temperature, wind speed, environmental obstacles, and so on.

When someone cuts a smelly one, we usually head for the hills. According to some researchers, however, the gas responsible for a fart’s rotten egg odour, hydrogen sulfide, may not be all that bad. In fact, it may even protect our cells.

While no hydrogen sulfide-based treatment yet exists, scientists suspect that this gas could help reduce our risk of cancer, stroke, and heart attack.

Some people use farting as a way to protect themselves. In 1996, researchers studied the case of a boy who was born prematurely and removed from his mother’s custody at two months of age. The child would envelop himself in a “protective cloud” of farts and bodily odours when he felt threatened.

Humans don’t have a monopoly on farting. While birds and octopuses do not fart, other animals pass quite a lot of gas. Cows, for example, have four stomachs and emit 160 to 320 litres (42.3 to 84.5 gallons) of methane every day. Methane is one of the gases responsible for climate change. Livestock produce nearly 15% of the planet’s greenhouse gases.

Soda lovers may want to rethink their beverage choices, especially if they suffer from gas. Intestinal bacteria that produce farts love high-fructose corn syrup, and guess what? Carbonated drinks have loads of it. Other beverages, such as fruit-flavoured drinks and fruit juices, are also likely to cause similar problems.

It’s not just unhealthy foods that can lead to flatulence. Vegetables like beans, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts are well known for causing farts. These foods are rich in complex carbohydrates that intestinal bacteria love, as well as fibre, which tends to ferment in the large intestine.

Do men or women have smellier farts? Actually, women take home the prize in this contest. Why? Simply because their farts tend to contain more hydrogen sulfide, the gas that smells like rotten eggs, than men’s farts.

Take heart, ladies. Men tend to fart more often.

Most people don’t mind the smell of their own farts, even when they are particularly malodorous. According to one theory, we “like” the smell of our farts (each of us has our own individual fart smell) because we’ve become accustomed to it over time.

Furthermore, we find the odour of others’ flatulence disgusting because our brains are conditioned to dislike nauseating smells, which are interpreted as threats to our health.

Have you noticed that you fart more than you used to? Your flatulence problem may be caused by your medication. Taking certain drugs, including ibuprofen, laxatives, and antifungal medicines, produces intestinal gas in some people.

Consult a doctor before stopping any prescription medication.

Imagine you're in an elevator when all of a sudden, you feel a fart coming on. You could try to hold it in, but you won’t be able to do it forever. Holding gas in can result in abdominal distention, an uncomfortable swelling of the abdomen.

Unreleased gas may also be reabsorbed by your body and exit through your mouth (you’ll need a bit of mouthwash). If the pressure gets too strong, you risk releasing an uncontrollable fart.

While farting is completely normal, some health problems can increase episodes of flatulence. Examples include irritable bowel syndrome, lactose intolerance, and celiac disease (gluten sensitivity). These health problems are usually accompanied by other symptoms, such as diarrhea and bloating.

If you are worried about flatulence, consult your doctor.