Table of contents:
- What are farts?
- Causes of farting
- 1. Swallow the air that is around
- 2. Part of the normal digestive process
- 3. The activity of intestinal bacteria
- 4. Eating foods high in fiber
- 5. Experiencing several medical conditions
- 6. Taking several drugs
- What causes fart to sound?
- Then why do farts smell?
- Can we reduce the number of farts in a day?
When you are bloated or when you want to defecate, you may fart a lot, aka pass wind. But, do you really know how fart can happen? Where did the smelly gas come from? And what causes our bodies to pass fart?
Often times when the fart smells bad and sounds, but not infrequently also farts are odorless and have no sound. How can there be a fart that smells and doesn't smell?
What are farts?
Fart or in medical language is called flatus is a normal biological process, occurs regularly and routinely and becomes commonplace for everyone. In fact, sometimes in patients who undergo surgery on the digestive system, fart is a measure of recovery.
Farts usually occur several times a day, and they become more frequent if you eat foods that contain gas. But on average, someone farts 5 to 15 times a day. In fact, there are people who may pass fart more than 40 times a day. This condition is called excessive farting. Usually this is due to problems in the digestive system.
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Causes of farting
The gas released through farts results from various things, including the result of the digestion process that occurs. Here are some of the causes that cause the body to produce farts.
1. Swallow the air that is around
When you swallow the food and drink you eat, you are also unconsciously swallowing some air. Oxygen and nitrogen found from swallowed air will be absorbed by the body when air is in the small intestine. Then, the rest will be discarded because it is considered that the body no longer needs it. Usually, people who are anxious and depressed will “swallow” more air, causing more frequent farts.
2. Part of the normal digestive process
When food is digested in the stomach, the stomach will produce acid. Then, the pancreas will neutralize stomach acid again so that it is not too acidic. This process naturally produces gas (carbon dioxide), which is then excreted through farts.
3. The activity of intestinal bacteria
The intestine contains various types of bacteria that play a role in digesting and absorbing food. These bacteria will help ferment some foods. The fermentation process that occurs produces gas as the final product. Some of the gas will be absorbed by the blood and flowed to the lungs, but some of the gas will be excreted by pushing it to the end of the digestive tract (anus) through the form of a fart.
4. Eating foods high in fiber
Fiber is a substance that is very good for the health of the digestive system, but consuming too much fibrous food actually increases gas production in the body. The small intestine cannot easily break down and digest incoming fiber, which causes intestinal bacteria to work harder. This process causes the intestinal bacteria to produce more gas and the gases must be excreted because it will cause bloating.
5. Experiencing several medical conditions
Constipation, irritation of the digestive system, lactose intolerance, intestinal infections, impaired absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, and colic disease, can make a person pass wind more frequently.
6. Taking several drugs
Several types of drugs cause increased gas in the body, such as ibuprofen, laxatives, antifungal drugs, and blood thinners.
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What causes fart to sound?
Sometimes there is a sound that sounds small, big, or doesn't even make a sound at all. This fart sound is caused by the muscles of the intestines trying to push gas to be excreted by the anal muscles. This strong urge occurs as a result of too much gas accumulating in the intestines. Therefore, the sound of farts can actually be prevented by setting the right diet.
Then why do farts smell?
The smell of fart actually depends on what each individual eats. It is not uncommon for farts to be odorless, while there are still farts that cause an unpleasant odor. This odor actually comes from the fermentation process carried out by intestinal bacteria, and the smell that appears depends on the food that is digested by the bacteria. Foods that cause farting smells bad, such as garlic, onions, spicy foods, and beer.
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Can we reduce the number of farts in a day?
Certainly can. The key is to eat healthy and varied foods. Foods that are consumed in large quantities have the potential to produce too much gas. So, eating the right portion of food is the way out. You should also avoid some of the following types of foods to prevent excessive farting:
- Milk
- Fruits, such as apples, apricots, and pears.
- Foods that are very high in fiber such as whole grains
- Various types of legumes, namely soybeans, peanuts, and kidney beans.
- Vegetables, such as carrots, cabbage, eggplant, broccoli, and cauliflower.