Flatulence and passing gassing are some fancy terms for farting. Some people prefer the endearment “tooting”. The fact that there are euphemisms for farting highlights how disdainful such a natural act is. So, is it normal to fart? Am I farting more than the person next to me?
There’s actually no standard measurement of what’s considered a normal amount of gas. The number of times someone passes gas varies. Up to 25 times a day can be normal. In addition, the amount of gas each person produces varies. People who eat more fibrous foods may produce more gas than those who don’t. Up to 2 liters a day of gas production can be normal.
As we eat, the gas within our GI tract increases, and the natural response is to expel the gas. Nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane, and carbon dioxide are the most commonly found intestinal gases. These tend to be odorless. When we swallow too much air, we belch. Carbon dioxide and oxygen will also dissipate across the intestinal membranes. Flatulence occurs when our colon bacteria break down undigested foods and release gas. What gives off the stink is hydrogen sulfide. Because polite society teaches us that we should keep our gas to ourselves, we often try to avoid tooting in public. However, whether we like it or not, our anal sphincters are better at holding solid stool in for long periods of time but the opposite is true for gas and liquid.
If the colon bacteria break down foods to release gas, are there certain foods that give us more gas issues? Complex carbohydrates are more challenging for bacteria to digest. These include lactose, fructose, and sucrose. Lactose is found in dairy. Fructose and sucrose are naturally occurring sugars found in plants although more and more fructose these days end up in our diets in the form of high fructose corn syrup, which has been linked to adverse health outcomes. Sugar alcohols typically found in diet drinks or gums such as sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol are also hard to digest. High FODMAP (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols) can also lead to more intestinal gas. The high FODMAP food list is exhaustingly long and includes such items as beans, broccoli, onions, wheat, apples, and etc. However, the complete avoidance of high FODMAP foods for extended periods of time can lead of micronutrient deficiencies.
Everyone responds differently to complex carbohydrates. As an example, about 50-70% of the world has varying levels of lactase deficiency (lactase is the enzyme that breaks down lactose, which is the complex carbohydrate typically found in dairy). Those with severe lactase deficiency suffer from diarrhea and profound flatulence whereas those with milder cases are less symptomatic. As another example, one person may get gassy from eating a quarter of a cup of beans whereas another may not.
If the colon bacteria releases gas, then perhaps we should fill our body with bacteria that are less gassy? The answer isn’t so simple. We have gut bacteria that feed off the hydrogen and carbon dioxide released by other gut bacteria in order to make short chain fatty acids. Short chain fatty acids have anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties. In the process of producing short chain fatty acids, methane and sulfide may get released.
So back to our questions. Is it normal to fart? Yes, everyone does it. Am I farting more than the next person? This one’s a bit more challenging to answer given how our microbiomes are so different and how we all respond differently to various foods. The beauty is that we are unique. No two gut profiles are the same. To avoid micronutrient deficiencies, we should eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, and grains. A long-term low FODMAP diet is never good for anyone. Over time, our body adjusts. But if you are to avoid anything, perhaps avoid the high fructose corn syrup products. And when you’re out in polite society, perhaps avoid excessive intake of foods that gives you more gas? We can toot our horns at home, so to speak.