Listen to Your Gases
Breaking wind. Cheese cutting. Thunder from below. I could go on, but whatever you want to call it , farting is part of life. Farting is usually caused either by swallowing air , which has to get out somehow, or by bacteria in the gut that release gas during the digestive process. All animals (human or otherwise) fart, but the way you fart can actually tell you something about your health.
“Fat is normal,” said Eamonn Quigley , a gastroenterologist at the Houston Methodist Hospital . “Everyone goes through flatulence every day. We go out more after meals and even at night.” But what do your farts mean and what can they tell you? First, “when a patient complains of excessive gas, the first thing we look at is the patient’s diet,” Quigley said .
Bloating does not mean more gas
According to Quigley, it’s important to understand that “there’s a big difference between flatulence and bloating.” As a classic study found, feeling bloated is not associated with excessive gas production. Instead, bloating occurs when gas enters the gastrointestinal tract, causing it to build up and causing an uncomfortable feeling of pressure. On the contrary, “flatulence is associated with the release of more gas,” Quigley said.
Why You May Fart More Than Usual
One of the main reasons you may start to fart more than usual is due to a change in your diet. If you eat more protein, more fiber, or more vegetables, this can cause short-term anxiety as the bacteria in your gut spend more time than usual digesting your food. However, “we adapt, and our bacteria adapt,” Quigley said. “If you change your diet, you may have more flatulence in the short term.” So at least you won’t fart forever once your gut gets used to this all-cabbage diet.
Some of the foods that can make you fart more than usual include various types of sugar; beans; dairy; high-fiber fruits such as apples and pears sugar alcohols; vegetables with a lot of fiber, such as asparagus, cabbage or Brussels sprouts; and whole grains, which are high in fiber. According to Quigley, foods high in fiber “love bacteria.” “They are going to digest them, and in the process of digestion, they will produce gas.”
Why your gas may be smellier than usual
If your gas is smellier than usual , the culprit is usually a specific food you’ve been eating, such as asparagus, coffee, eggs, or prunes. All are likely to be sources of dirtier than usual gas, often due to the presence of hydrogen sulfide. Smelly gases can also be caused by meat by-products and the presence of feces in the rectum.
When to see a doctor about your farts
If you experience discomfort or if you have unexplained, persistent changes in your farting behavior, this is a sign that you should see a doctor. Bloating may be associated with irritable bowel syndrome (other symptoms, including changes in bowel movements such as alternating diarrhea and constipation, or pain that does not go away with passing gas or having a bowel movement). In the future, medical technology may even be able to detect any changes in your health by monitoring the sounds of your gases. Until then, you’ll just have to listen (and sniff) your gases the old-fashioned way.