The Science of Farts
Everybody farts. Farting is natural as passing gas has many purposes. In the animal kingdom, farting is important.
Although nitrogen and oxygen contribute to the majority of intestinal gas from the bacteria present in our gut, this gas is mostly composed of hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide. Together with the swallowed nitrogen and oxygen, it makes up 99% of flatulence.
Complex carbohydrates like fiber from our food passing undigested through our small intestine could be converted to over 13 liters of highly flammable hydrogen daily. Most of the gases we release from our bowels are odorless, with up to a quarter being oxygen and nitrogen from swallowed air.
The best way to control farting is it not hold onto it for too long because it can produce pain and IBS. Avoiding dietary fiber may reduce gas production but dietary fiber is important for many reasons. The other option instead of eating less fiber is to stop swallowing air – which can be hard to do.
Farting can be embarrassing but you should not hold onto it. As long as the farts aren’t causing you physical pain, you and those around you may just have to learn to turn the other cheek. Learn more about flatulence in the video below!
