Farting, otherwise known as flatulence, is usually considered to be the most shameful or humorous function of the body.
Farting is common and everyone farts. However, the probability is very high that not many have ever taken a moment to think about the science and history behind it.
Facts About Farting You Probably Don’t Know
• First used in 1962, fart means the wind coming out of the anus. So farting is pretty apt, don’t you think?
• The tendency of farting is higher in males than females.
• A normal human being is prone to farting more than a dozen times every day. The air they produce can be used to blow up one balloon.
• Don’t ever be embarrassed about farting because it is actually an indication of good health. If your digestive system is working as it should, you will fart.
• The main component of a fart is hydrogen sulfide which helps decrease any damage to the mitochondria. This means that taking in the smell of your farting is actually good for you.
• While women don’t fart as much as men, their farts tend to smell more because they have greater levels of hydrogen sulfide. This makes the air they produce better for your health as well.
• Your farts are much faster than you because they travel 10ft/sec; • The tighter your sphincter, the more sound your farting will make because they can’t get out easily.
• If you chew a lot of gum and drink aerated drinks, it will increase the frequency of your farting.
• Most of our farting daily happen when we are asleep; •Termites may be small in size but they fart more than any other creature. Camels come a close second, followed by zebras and cattle.
Like toxic gas, fart is one of numerous byproducts of microbial chemical processes taking place in the human gut and must be detoxified (www.healthsciencedaily.com, October 2019).
www.medicalnewstoday.com, in a report published in August 2023, stated that fart is really healthy: “It is natural for extra air to end up in the digestive system, either from swallowing air or gas created during digestion. Farting is a normal way to get rid of the extra gas. It is normal to fart up to 25 times per day.
Similarly, www.healthline.com, in answering the question, ‘Is farting a lot healthy?‘, reported in May 2019 that “Regularly farting is normal, even healthy.” It, however, added that while “farting a lot isn’t necessarily bad, but it could be a sign of a digestive issue or improper diet.”
Speaking on the danger of holding back farting, Dr Ligresti (published by www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org (November 2023), said: “Gas that is not passed will be absorbed by the bloodstream and ultimately breathed out by the lungs. Holding gas in can be uncomfortable due to intestinal distension, leading to bloating or nausea. However, it ultimately is not harmful—but also not recommended.”
In the same vein, holding farting back once in a while is not a problem, however, it may lead to pain, bloating, or discomfort, if it becomes a habit. It is therefore advisable that, as a healthier alternative to holding back, one should find an appropriate place and time to release the gas (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com).
It is also a common phenomenon to fart before we poop. But why does farting commonly occur before pooping? “A buildup of gas-producing foods and swallowed air during the day may make you more flatulent in the evening. Also, you’re more likely to fart when the muscles in the intestines are stimulated. When you’re about to have a bowel movement, for example, those muscles are moving stool to the rectum.” (https://www.healthline.com).
As much as farting is a healthy lifestyle, an unhealthy fart smell is an irritant. “Farts that smell like rotten eggs could be a result of eating lots of fibrous foods like beans. Sulfur-rich foods like eggs, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and more can cause the same effect. If you also have bloating and stomach pain, your sulfurous farts might be a sign of a food intolerance. (www.insider.com, August 2022).
www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au published a report on foods that commonly cause farting or flatulence. These include dairy products, such as milk (if lactose intolerance is present); dried fruit– raisins and prunes; fruit– apple, apricot, peach and pear; foods high in insoluble fibre– particularly seeds and husks; and legumes – beans, peas, chickpeas, soybeans and nuts.
About 87.9 per cent of men who don’t fart when urinating are infertile. So don’t be so hard on yourself. Don’t hold back farting; at least, you feel better if you do what nature intended. After all, it is healthy for you.
However, as it is with every other human endeavour, farting has its own downside as it can be excessively smelly. What then can cause you to have a lot of smelly fart? Excessive or smelly farts can be caused when you swallow air or eat foods that are difficult to digest. It can also sometimes be a sign of a health condition. It is not advisable to self-diagnose, should such occured. Rather, endeavour to see a doctor if you are worried about your farting.(https://www.nhs.uk).
In the meantime, stay healthy always. Go ahead and let it rip… however, with moderation! Keep on farting for real as a means to a healthy lifestyle.
