The average person farts about 14 times a day (even us ladies, who claim we have “Barbie butts”), which is the equivalent of about a half liter of gas that we expel through our bodies via our anus. Farting is just a natural thing, caused by excess air we consume when swallowing, by gases passed into the intestines via blood, gases in bacteria constantly in our intestines to aid in digestion, and chemical reactions in our intestines while we digest food. The gas has to go somewhere, and when it travels down toward our butts, we let ‘er rip and there ya go- a big greasy fart, a silent killer, or little “pop farts” throughout the day. Some people fart more than others, and there are many culprits behind this.
If you fart or belch more than 25 times a day, then odds are, you have excess gas, which is likely causing you discomfort in your abdomen as the gases pool up and cause bloat and pain. If you eat your food quickly, then you are likely swallowing a lot of air that is contributing to your gas, causing you to belch more frequently. Likewise, there are many foods that cause gas and cause you to fart more frequently. These foods include dairy, cabbage, artificial sweeteners, pasta, bananas, potatoes, beans, wheat, and prunes. If you have a lot of excess gas and fart frequently, trying to cut down on foods that commonly cause more gas when being digested is a great place to start.
Foods that are high in fiber also often cause gas, like fruits and vegetables in general. However, if you have constant gas and have not changed your diet (often, a diet change, like going vegetarian or beginning to eat meat after being a vegetarian can cause your body to react in the different foods it is digesting, producing painful gas or excess gas), or if your gas is painful and interfering with your life, there may be other health concerns to blame.
Antibiotics can often have excess gas and farting as a side effect of them. If you have recently begun taking antibiotics or any prescription medication and are now farting more than usual, your meds may be to blame. You also may have digestive issues, such as irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis, Chron’s Disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or another digestive issue that you may need to have checked out by a doctor if your farting and excessive gas is bothering you.
Taking laxatives or being constipated also attribute to farting and excess gas. When you irritate your colon by blocking the ability of gasses to pass by having diarrhea or constipation, this leads to bloat and discomfort. Drinking water to help soften stools and allow you to expel gas and fart more successfully.
If you feel you fart too much, or are farting more than you normally do, particularly if it is painful and causes disruptions in your life, seeing your doctor may help rule out diet or digestive issues. But if you just plain fart on a daily basis like all of us do, there is little to worry about. Many things in our bodies make us fart, and it’s normally just a natural thing.
Sources:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gas-and-gas-pains/DS00080/DSECTION=causes
http://www.everydayhealth.com/excessive-gas/excessive-gas-tips.aspx
http://www.heptune.com/farts.html
