Contents:
- Medical Video: Dr. Oz Explains Gas
- What is fart?
- Causes of farting
- 1. Swallow the air around
- 2. Part of the normal digestive process
- 3. The activity of intestinal bacteria
- 4. Eat high-fiber foods
- 5. Experience several medical conditions
- 6. Take several drugs
- What causes farting?
- Then why does the fart smell?
- Can we reduce the number of farts in a day?
Medical Video: Dr. Oz Explains Gas
When flatulence or when you want to defecate, maybe you often fart or throw away the wind. But, do you know how fart can actually occur? Where does the smell of gas come from? And what causes our bodies to fart?
Often when farts emit an unpleasant smell and sound, but not infrequently also fart odorless and no sound. How can there be farts that smell and don't smell?
What is fart?
Farting or in medical language called flatus is a normal biological process, occurring regularly and routinely and becoming commonplace for everyone. It is sometimes the patient who performs surgery on the part of the digestive system, farting becomes a measure of his recovery.
Farting usually occurs several times a day, and is increasingly common when consuming foods that contain gas. But on average, someone does fart as much as 5 to 15 times a day. In fact, there are people who might fart more than 40 times a day. This condition is called excessive farting. Usually this is caused by problems in the digestive system.
READ ALSO: What Happens to the Body When We Hold Farts
Causes of farting
The gas released through fart is produced from various things, including the result of the digestion of food that occurs. Here are some causes that cause the body to produce fart.
1. Swallow the air around
When you swallow food and drinks that you eat, you have unconsciously swallowed some air. Oxygen and nitrogen from the swallowed air will be absorbed by the body when air is in the small intestine. Then, the rest will be discarded because the body is no longer needed. Usually, people who are anxious and depressed will have more 'swallowing' air, causing farting which is more common.
2. Part of the normal digestive process
When food is digested in the stomach, the stomach produces acid. Then, the pancreas will neutralize the stomach acid so it's not too acidic. This process naturally produces gas (carbon dioxide), which is then discharged through farting.
3. The activity of intestinal bacteria
The intestine contains various types of bacteria which play a role in digesting and absorbing food. These bacteria will help to ferment some foods. This fermentation process produces gas as the end result. Some of the gas will be absorbed by the blood and flowed into the lungs, but some will be removed by being pushed to the end of the digestive tract (anus) through the fart form.
4. Eat high-fiber foods
Fiber is a substance that is very good for the health of the digestive system, but eating too much fibrous food actually increases gas production in the body. The small intestine cannot easily break down and digest the incoming fiber, which causes intestinal bacteria to work harder. This process causes intestinal bacteria to produce more gas and these gases must be removed because it will cause bloating.
5. Experience several medical conditions
Constipation, irritation of the digestive system, lactose intolerance, infection of the intestine, there is a disruption of absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, and colic disease, which can make someone dispose of the wind more closely.
6. Take several drugs
Some types of drugs cause an increase in gas in the body, such as ibuprofen, laxative drugs, antifungal drugs, and blood thinning drugs.
READ ALSO: 6 Health Facts Regarding Discard the Wind (Fart)
What causes farting?
Sometimes there is a farting sound that sounds small, big, or doesn't even make a sound at all. This fart sound is caused by the muscles of the intestine that try to push gas to be released by the anal muscle. This strong boost occurs because too much gas accumulates in the intestine. Therefore, farting sounds can actually be prevented by setting the correct diet.
Then why does the fart smell?
Farting actually depends on what is eaten by each individual. Not infrequently fart does not smell, while still there are farts that cause unpleasant odors. This smell 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 unpleasant smell like garlic, onion, spicy food, and beer drinks.
READ ALSO: Detect Body Health Through Farts
Can we reduce the number of farts in a day?
Certainly can. The key is to eat healthy and diverse foods. Foods consumed in large quantities have the potential to produce too much gas. So, eating food with the right portion is the solution. You should also avoid the following types of foods to prevent excessive farting:
- Milk
- Fruits, like apples, apricots and pears.
- Foods that are very high in fiber such as seeds
- Various types of beans, namely soybeans, peanuts, and kidney beans.
- Types of vegetables, such as carrots, cabbage, eggplant, broccoli, and cauliflower.
