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It might not be polite dinner conversation, and I’m sure you know someone who pretends they’re exempt from it, but farting is something we all do.

According to doctors, we need to release gas at least 10 times a day, which may seem like a lot.

However, if you’re keeping it to under 22 a day you should be otherwise healthy.

The study of farting is knows as flatology, and it’s concerned with the cause for this, and how to reduce flatulence in people having trouble with excess gas.

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The purpose of farting is to release the gas your body naturally produces through eating, chewing, and other functions.


Although some of the gas will be absorbed into the body, the rest of it has to go somewhere, so it’s expelled through the anus.

You might experienced increased flatulence when you’re menstruating, when you’ve eaten certain foods, or if your intestines are stimulated (this could even be triggered by the muscle movements of something like a cough).

Most have some sort of smell to them, and this can be affected by how well you chew your food. If undigested food is left in your digestive tract it can make farts smell worse.

The average fart is made up of oxygen, nitrogen, methane, and sulphur. Sulphur is the worst smelling of these gases, and some people simply make more naturally, which is why theirs smell worse.

How to fart properly

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To reduce sound or smell

  • Release it slowly.
  • Choose a seat with a soft surface if you have to sit down.
  • Lean your weight on one buttock to separate them before you fart.
  • Purchase noise and smell cancelling underwear, such as Shreddies.

To fart less

  • Cut down on foods which make this worse (some people find that dairy gives them gas).
  • Cut down on alcohol and carbonated consumption.
  • Chew your food slower so you swallow less air.
  • Other reasons you might swallow air include chewing gum and smoking, so perhaps reduce these.

To relieve yourself of gas

  • Try yoga – child’s pose (asana) should help.
  • Exercise regularly.
  • Give yourself a light abdominal massage by lying flat and pressing gently on your belly button. Rub your stomach clockwise for around two minutes.
  • Eat high fibre foods.

The reason why you might not have an issue with your own farts but be disgusting with the smell of others’ is apparently evolutionary.

Before we all wore trousers and had much better health, disease could be spread by people passing gas. So, we learned to avoid other people’s to help avoid disease.

Everybody’s smell different due to our own personal mix of gut bacteria, so you can determine whether it’s yours from smell alone.

As with any health related issue, if you’re worried that the frequency of your flatulence has changed, or they smell much worse than usual, you should visit your doctor.

It could be a sign of an underlying issue, so it’s best to get it checked out.

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