Have you ever been in one of those situations where you really need to fart, but the social setting doesn’t allow it?
You can sense that feeling in your stomach and sometimes something just slips out, no matter how hard you try to keep it in.
While some people can go for quite some time before they let themselves go, health experts have weighed in on how healthy, or unhealthy, it really is to hold in a fart.
According to reports, it’s almost impossible for people to avoid releasing gasses completely.
“[With farts], the bacteria are going to produce the gas and they’re going to keep doing it whether you think you’re holding onto it or not,” Professor Graeme Young explained to Nine Coach.
Gases in our stomachs are constantly being created when we swallow air when we’re eating food, drink, or simply producing saliva. It’s also created in our bowel by bacteria.
While you may think it’s totally gross, producing gas could be a sign that your body is working as its meant to.
“It’s actually a function of healthy bacteria to produce those gases,” Professor Young explained.
“It contains hydrogen and methane and a few things like that. Our farts contain some of the air that we swallow and some of the gases that are produced naturally by the organisms in our bowel.”
So now that we know that it’s actually a good thing to be farting, how much should we be doing it?
If you’re a male, you could be fluffing between 18 and 20 times a day, while women tend to drop their guts between 12 and 14 times daily.
And, if you’re wondering why some farts smell and others don’t there’s a perfectly good answer for that.
“Sometimes our farts smell and that’s the gases that are produced by the microorganisms that ferment what we eat,” Professor Young added.
He also explained that some of the foods people eat can impact the smell of a fart, as can the way our individual guts work with the bacteria.
If you find that you’re also suffering from discomfort, cramping or a case of the runs, it could be worth visiting a doctor.
While cases vary from person to person, there could be a number of health reasons why you’re suffering such side effects. These can include IBS and food intolerance.
Having said that, Dr Young suggested that farts and the side effects don’t always mean that you are living with a health condition.
“In the end, neither burping nor farting really indicate serious disease,” he said.
“Farts are a nuisance but not a health risk in themselves.”