First published January 15, 2018.
Farting is mostly considered to be the most shameful and also humorous function of our body. Everyone farts, everyone tries to hide it, but have we ever taken a minute to think about the science and history behind it?
Here are some little-known yet fascinating facts about farting:
1. The article does not establish a universal sex difference in how often people pass gas.
2. The word 'fart' predates 1962; that date is not a credible origin for this much older word. It's pretty apt, don’t you think so?
3. A typical human being will fart more than a dozen times a day.
4. The air someone produces when they fart can be used to blow up a balloon.
5. Don’t ever feel embarrassed about a fart. Passing gas is usually an ordinary digestive process, but frequency alone cannot establish good or poor health. Pain or other persistent changes need their own assessment.
6. Hydrogen sulfide can contribute to odour but is not the main component of intestinal gas. Laboratory work on this chemical does not mean that smelling flatulence benefits health.
7. The sex-based frequency and odour claims are not established here, and a stronger smell does not make gas healthier to inhale.
8. A single speed of 10 feet per second is not a meaningful universal measurement for passing gas.
9. The tighter our sphincter, the more sound our farts will make because they cannot get out easily.
10. If you chew a lot of gum or drink many aerated drinks, it will probably increase the frequency of your farts.
11. The article supplies no evidence that most gas is passed during sleep.
12. Termites and other animals produce digestive gases, but this ranking lacks a defined measure and supporting data.
Based on Truth Inside Of You
A normal process attracts some unreliable claims
Gas can come from swallowed air and digestion, but the original list mixes that subject with unsupported sex comparisons, precise speed claims, and an incorrect modern origin for the word fart. A numbered format does not make each item equally well established. The useful distinction is between a broad explanation and a claim that needs a specific source.
Smelling gas is not a health treatment
Research involving controlled compounds or laboratory models does not show that inhaling flatulence protects a person's cells. Hydrogen sulfide is not the main component of intestinal gas, and exposure should not be encouraged as a health practice. Changes in symptoms are better discussed with a clinician than interpreted through a viral list or a supposed ideal number of daily episodes.
Sources and context: NIDDK: gas in the digestive tract
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