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What does your fart say about you? – Metro US

What does your fart say about you?

What does your fart say about you?

A good fart can clear a room, or as in the case of Florida internet gas master “Paul Flart” it could force you to clear your desk. 

The security guard named “Doug” blew up on social media after blowing out farts for six months while on duty at a Florida hospital. Unfortunately for the wind-breaking watchman who dubbed himself “Paul Flart,“named after the Kevin James film character, his superiors caught wind of his gastrograms and was quickly fired.

While where you pass gas may tell a lot about you (it’s probably not good), how you fart can indicate factors ranging from a healthy gut to eating too much protein-rich foods, according to a leading nutritionist. The average healthy person produces about 2.5 liters of gas in their gastrointestinal system, according to Sonja Kukuljan, Ph.D., general manager of nutrition at at Freedom Foods. Women pass passing on average seven times a day while men fart 12 times.

Flatus is mostly made up of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, oxygen and methane. However, Kukuljan says none of these are responsible for causing any nasty odor –  that comes from sulfuric compounds, which she says you can find in particularly protein-rich foods like red meat and even cruciferous vegetables like cabbage and broccoli.

“We’ve all been conditioned to think this ‘wind’ is a bad thing, but it can be an indication that the digestion bugs are fighting back and becoming healthier,” says Kukuljan.

Kukuljan says you don’t need to count your farts each day, but instead aim to keep your digestive system at optimum levels through quality fibers (such as Barley+). “When we change from a low-fiber diet to high excessive gas is produced through the action of the gut microflora, resulting in wind. So during the first few days of introducing Barley+ for example, you might feel a little extra gas in your gut. As such, you may want to allow your gut and gut bacteria to adapt in the greater quantity of fiber arriving into the large bowel. This can take a few days to weeks. But as we know, this is a good thing!”

What do your fart habits tell you?

First off, it’s OK to hold em in, Kukuljan dispels the urban myth that holding in farts can cause serious health issues. But it can be uncomfortable.

“Breathe a sigh of relief, holding in gas isn’t life threatening,” Kukuljan confirms. “However discomfort such as bloating and pain can develop in your attempt to refrain from releasing them. Like it or not, if your body wants to get rid of some extra air, it’s going to happen eventually.”

Kukuljan also gives the lowdown on what your blow outs may mean. 

If your farts are loud: “That’s the result of the vibrations caused by bowel muscles forcing gas out,” 

If your farts have an excessive odor: “That comes from intake of sulfuric compounds, particularly hydrogen sulphide.It may also be an indication that you are eating too many protein-rich foods. If you want to find out these potential offenders, you might find it useful to keep a food symptom diary to identify foods that may increase odor.”

And if your farts become, well, a regular thing: “That could be a symptom of an underlying digestive condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease or lactose intolerance. It’s always best to seek advice from your doctor particularly if it is accompanied by other symptoms like abdominal discomfort, bloating or sudden change in your bowel habits. It could just be that many of us don’t understand what’s normal amount of farting. Around 10 farts per day is normal, but for a person with very high fiber, the number could reach 40.”