Why do some people fart too much ? Flatulence !

Flatulence is the scientific medical term for farting. But here we want to know why some people fart too much. Is it dependent on your diet, your genes or your age. It is often noticed that farting increases with age. Is there any way to control the excessive farting or reduce the bad odor. A number of such questions about the fart gas will be answered in this article.

"Fart" is derived from "Feortan" is an old-english word which means "to break the wind". Everyone farts, most of the times without any odor. 13 to 21 times farting per day is an average and we pass 0.6 to 1.8 liters of intestinal gas each day. Only 1% of expelled gases smell bad, as it sometimes contain sulphur. Most of the farts are expelled while we are asleep, so we don't notice it. If we fart more than 25 times in a day on regular basis then it is considered excessive farting, which might have some other medical conditions behind it.

How is so much gas generated inside our intestine ?

Certain types of carbohydrates don't get digested in our digestive system, which is fermented by different types of bacteria in large intestine. This fermentation and breaking the undigested food produces gas as a byproduct. It is a part of our digestive process. 99% of these gases contain nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and methane. People of both gender generate same amount of gas across all age groups. But foods that produce gas in one person might not do so in other person as everybody have different combination of bacteria in their gut.

Do you know that we also swallow some air while chewing the food. This air is usually expelled through mouth as "burp".

Is Farting Good or Bad ?

As long as it is a natural occurrence it is good. It only shows that your digestive system is working perfectly. But we the human are social animal and we need to have expertise in doing it silently, otherwise you need to observe the faces if it was good or bad. 

Excessive farting is bad as it may be a symptom of some other medical condition related to your digestive system. 

Do people fart more with old age ?

Yes, in some cases it is true. There are more than one reason behind this increase in flatulence.

• Our metabolism slows down with age, so the food spends more time in digestive system and gets more fermented in large intestine thus generating more gas.
• As we age, our stomach generates lesser amount of acid to breakdown and digest the food. This undigested food gets more fermented in large intestine, thus creating more gas.
• Our stomach has got muscles to blend and digest the food. These muscles get weakened with increasing age and thus digestion becomes more of a responsibility of bacteria in large intestine.
•  As we age, the lactase production is reduced which makes it harder to digest dairy products, which is then fermented by bacteria in intestine and gas is generated.
• Sometimes medications cause constipation and food spends extra time in intestine generating gases.

Is there a way to get rid of excessive farting ?

• Eat slowly and chew the food completely before swallowing. It helps in proper digestion in stomach and lesser amount of undigested food reaches large intestine for fermentation by bacteria. Thus lesser amount of gas is generated.
• Try to have a good balance of protein, fruits, vegetables and grains in your diet. Try to identify the food items that generate more gas and then try to avoid it.
• Having some probiotic can also help, as it puts some good bacteria in your digestive system and may reduce the quantity of intestinal gas. Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables can also do the same thing.
• You may also use over-the-counter enzyme products such as Beano, but it is not suitable for long-term use.
• If your excessive farting is due to lactose intolerance then reduce the quantity of dairy products in your diet.
• Drink lots of water and avoid carbonated drinks.

Do you try to hold the fart ?

If you don't pass the gas then you may feel pain and issues like bloating due to the excess pressure of gas inside intestine. Holding or suppressing the flatulence from time to time can irritate colon and may cause hemorrhoids (piles). Releasing your intestinal gases is always an healthier option, so don't be afraid and let it fly. However being social makes it harder to do so, so learn the art of silent farting. Nobody teaches it, but everybody knows it.