Flatulence: How To Prevent It

How To: Prevent Flatulence

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You denied it, blamed it on the guy next to you, you even blamed it on grandma when she was out of earshot. Most of the time flatulence smells bad and sounds funny, but why go through so much restiveness over something as natural as farting? OK, what we've mentioned so far are reasons enough, but let us at least dissipate the notion that farting, or flatus, is bad.

Everybody passes gas; people are simply made that way, so there is no need to worry about you or a loved one cutting too much cheese. Few health risks are associated with excessive flatulence; it is all a matter of accepting and controlling certain details.

The truth behind flatulence

To understand why flatulence occurs, one must look at the human body like it's a small factory. The gastrointestinal tract works as a unit. Once food reaches the stomach, all nutrients are broken down into smaller components (amino acids, fatty acids and glucose ) before being absorbed in the small intestine.

When food does not get absorbed into the intestinal wall, it cannot enter the bloodstream. Indigestible food and liquids are sent down the track where they reach the large colon (bowel) as waste for liquid reabsorption. It is there, in the large intestine, that gases are formed.

Different bacteria in the bowel have a symbiotic relationship with the body — in some cases, actually doing more good than harm. The large colon contains a variety of digestive enzymes that feed off unabsorbed nutrients. In the case of flatulence, foreign enzymes known as "gas enzymes" consume undigested nutrients by breaking their chemical bonds.

This process produces gases and the "end" result is the dog getting blamed for something he probably did not do. Enzymes burn food on a molecular level so farts are like exhaust fumes, and like all efficient factories, once an agent has been broken down, it produces gas.



Why flatulence smells

So why do farts smell? Fermented food produces different types of fumes, some of which smell. Flatulence contains odorless gases, such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and methane, but it also contains the "oh-so-nasty" hydrogen sulfide, which causes the smell. If you have not noticed by now, some of the aforementioned fumes are flammable, like methane and oxygen, so you can, in fact, burn farts. Yes, you can set them aflame; it is not a myth, and it's a great way to impress the girls too (you do know we're joking?).

How much odor is produced also depends on the food you eat. Vegetarians might fart as often as meat-eaters, but their "serenades" do not smell as much because vegetables produce less hydrogen sulfide. The more sulfur-rich the foods you eat, the more your farts will stink because bacteria will generate sulfides and mercaptans as they break down the nutrients. Beware: even though cauliflower is a vegetable, it also makes you stinky, so watch out.

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