No matter how old you get, flatulence is always the stuff of comedy. Farts can be funny or unpleasant, but did you know that you can learn about your body via fart? You can, and you can actually diagnose possible health issues through them too.
First off, what exactly is a fart? A fart is basically trapped air being released from the body. You can get this air from swallowing it from chewing, or it can be gas going into our intestines from the blood, and some gas is produced by chemical reactions in our gut. You can also have excessive gas from bacteria living in the stomach. Typically, a fart contains 59% nitrogen, 21% hydrogen, 9% carbon dioxide, 7% methane, and 4% oxygen. Sulfur has a low percentage of about 1% and that is what causes farts to smell foul.
Now that we know the anatomy of a fart, what can we learn about our bodies through our farts? Farts come in many different forms. They can be loud, quiet, stinky, not stinky, etc. Extra stinky farts are usually an indicator of excess hydrogen sulfide. This is caused by the digestion of foods with sulfur in them.
Farts that are super stinky, and occur right after the ingestion of dairy, indicate you might be lactose intolerant! They can also be a sign of different bowel conditions such as IBS (irritable Bowel Syndrome). An indication of a healthy fart is when they are mostly quiet, and do not stink! 99% of farts are usually odorless gasses. All farts, in general, are a sign of good health, unless it is followed by discomfort, bloating, or pain. These symptoms can be key to discovering a food allergy.