6 Health facts about passing wind (farts) & bull; hello healthy

Fart. Exhaust gas. Fart. There are all kinds of ways to describe the familiar sounds and smells emitting from a human buttocks.

Why are we farting? Why do farts smell? Talking about farts may be embarrassing and may lead to pointing at each other to find out who the real culprit is. But certainly, passing wind is a natural function of the body of a living being. Everybody's doing it.

The following are six surprising facts about passing wind that you may not have known before.

Farts are not just a result of digestive problems

Passing wind or farting is a buildup of pressure from within the stomach which is released with sufficient force of impulse, which can come from a variety of sources. The release of air from the buttocks is caused by gas seeping into our intestines from our blood, and some of the gases are the result of a chemical reaction between the bacteria that live in our intestines and the leftovers that have been digested.

Some types of farts can also be caused by angioenetic edema of the intestines or as a side effect of heartburn or constipation. Some of the cases of passing gas, especially those that are odorless, are the accumulation of air that we swallow while talking, yawning, chewing, or drinking.

Farts are produced by peristalsis, a series of intestinal contractions in order to move food waste toward the anus. This process is stimulated by the activity of eating, which is why we feel like having a bowel movement or farting after eating. Peristalsis creates a zone of high pressure that forces everything in the intestine, including gas, to move forward towards a place where the pressure is lower, namely towards the anus. The gas is more easily churned out than the other components, and the tiny bubbles coalesce into bigger air bubbles on their way to the "exit".

The smell of farts comes from the sulfur and methane

Typical gas farts consist of 59 percent nitrogen, 21 percent hydrogen, 9 percent carbon dioxide, 7 percent methane, and 4 percent oxygen. Most fart gas is odorless. However, certain types of food, such as foods high in fiber and containing sulfur (cauliflower, eggs, red meat) can produce odors. Some bacteria also produce methane or hydrogen sulfide which can add a distinctive odor. Only about one percent of farts contain hydrogen sulfide gas and mercaptans, which contain sulfur, and sulfur is what makes farts smell bad.

Farts actually smell from the moment they are released, but it can take a few seconds for the smell to reach a person's nostrils for them to react to the smell.

Fart sounds vary depending on the vibrations of the rectum

In contrast to the common belief that the size of the sound is produced by the "flapping" of the two sides of the buttocks that collide, the sound is actually produced by vibrations from the rectum, aka the anal opening.

The high-low, long-short-pitched sound of the fart will depend on the tightness of the sphincter (the ring of striated muscle that surrounds the anal canal) and the pressure behind the gas to be released - a combination that causes the anal opening to vibrate. Some people can voluntarily control the rate of gas by tightening their rectum, but at night you will tend to release gas with a loud noise because your sphincter muscles are relaxed.

A person usually passes gas 10-20 times per day

Typically, an individual produces about half a liter to two liters of gas per day and distributes it in 10-20 incidents of gasping - which can fill a balloon.

Most people who complain of “frequent gasping” actually don't really have an issue to worry about. Some people pass gas more frequently than others, but not necessarily produce more gas. The real problem may just be the perception of passing wind that is different from one person to another. In mild cases, frequent “gasping” is a matter of how active or sensitive a person's digestive system is, not how much it is produced.

Frequent farting is harmless, even if you hold it in. Frequent gas can also indicate that your digestive system is working well, or vice versa, that you have digestive problems, such as intolerance to dairy products or gluten. However, if you pass gas more than 50 times a day and it is accompanied by other symptoms, such as severe stomach pain, distension, or bleeding or fat in your stool, call your doctor immediately.

Fart gas is flammable gas

Fart gas consists of hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, and methane which are flammable gases, and can produce fire if exposed to sources of ignition. With the heat energy from the ignition source, this flammable gas group will react with oxygen from the room air and flatus to produce oxides and water.

In rare cases, the buildup of flammable gas in the intestine has caused an explosion during bowel surgery.

Even so, there is very little chance of successfully burning your fart without the risk of the injury that follows. In addition, fart gas has the same temperature as the temperature in the body, and is not so hot as to start the combustion.

Smelling farts is good for health

Yes, smelling your own (or someone else's) fart can bring no kidding health benefits to the body. At least, that's according to the findings of a study published in the journal Medicinal Chemistry Communications, reported by Time. The study findings concluded that hydrogen sulfide gas found in rotten eggs or human fart gas could be a key factor in the treatment of disease thanks to its protective function against mitochondria.

Hydrogen sulfide gas in large doses is harmful to the body, but this study shows that exposure to cellular levels to smaller amounts of these compounds can prevent mitochondrial damage.

The reason is, when the disease forces the body's cells to work hard, the cells will attract enzymes to produce small amounts of hydrogen sulfide to protect the mitochondria. Mitochondria basically act as generators for the release of cellular energy, and their protective action is central to the prevention of certain diseases, from cancer, stroke, arthritis, heart attack, to dementia.

With the note, this study is still relatively small and premature and has not been tested in humans - it is still a controlled test in the laboratory on cell samples. Maybe for a while, you can just be grateful if someone is passing wind near you.