Farts: What's "Normal" and Not
What you need to know about The Scent of gut health
Most people are embarrassed to talk about farts and bowel habits. And, that NEEDS to change.
Diving into gut health is a critical component for me to cover when people see me for acne, eczema, and other skin issues - as gut health is linked to those common skin concerns. (Learn more: Click here to learn how gut health is linked to acne and eczema)
And, knowing about someone’s farts is one of several IMPORTANT pieces of information to learn what is going on with someone’s gut health and how the gut could be influencing their skin.
With that, let’s NORMALIZE fart talk - Let’s talk about what “normal” is and what to look out for when farts are “abnormal”!
Read on to learn.
DISCLAIMER: The information in this blog post does not constitute as medical advice; is not meant to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any conditions or disease; and is meant for educational purposes only. The information in this blog post does not replace or SUBSTITUTE the medical advice of your medical provider. Speak to your doctor or medical provider before starting anything new.
What is “normal” farting?
Science says that it’s NORMAL for people to have up to 25 farts a day! Did you know that?
Fart gases are naturally made by the gut microbiome after gut bacteria ferment foods we eat.
Food & Farts
Since we’re on the topic of food… If you’re like me, you’re into getting your daily dose of food-based fiber.
But, when I started my fiber journey, I started to experience more gas. Did you too? Well, it’s COMMON to experience more gas production because gut bacteria are fermenting those fibers!
Other than dietary fiber, Mayo Clinic suggests that carbonated beverages and sugar substitutes or artificial sweeteners may also cause gas in some folks.
So, when thinking about farts, I think about BOTH gut bacteria AND foods people commonly eat.
Should farts be unscented?
Going back to what is “normal,” normal gases that are farted out are typically unscented, such as nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and more.
While unscented, scientists suggest that methane gas produced from gut bacteria is linked to constipation and bloat. So, knowing about farts is uncovering a part of the gut health puzzle - especially if a person has constipation and bloat!
But, what if someone has SMELLY farts? Is that normal?
Read on to learn more!
Are smelly farts “normal”?
Do you smell your farts? If not, you should! The SCENT of someone’s farts may provide a peek into someone’s gut health!
Fart scents are linked to concentrations of sulfur gas. And, two SMELLY gases are: Methanethiol and hydrogen sulfide.
1- Methanethiol can smell like ROTTING CABBAGE. (But, I personally think it smells more like a garbage disposal). Scientists suggest that normal levels of this gas is made by commensal (aka beneficial) gut bacteria.
HOWEVER, scientists suggest that higher concentrations of methanethiol may be abnormal and could be a hallmark of specific gut bacteria overgrowths linked to SERIOUS gut issues, such as colorectal cancer (CRC).
2- Hydrogen sulfide is a STINKY gas. And, this gut bacteria-produced gas can smell like ROTTEN EGGS!
Researchers suggest that excess gut bacteria that make hydrogen sulfide is linked to INFLAMMATION in the gut.
Are farts ALWAYS because of gut bacteria?
Well, partly and mostly.
If you’re a lactose-intolerant person, like me, or know someone who is lactose-intolerant, you most likely know that we experience farts and other gut issues after eating dairy.
And this is why…
When someone is lactose-intolerant, it means that they experience issues breaking down the sugar lactose found in most dairy products. And that occurs because of issues with the enzyme lactase that digest or break down that sugar.
Now, when that sugar ISN’T broken down, it acts as food for gut bacteria for those microbes to produce gas.
Other than food intolerance, excess gas may herald something SERIOUS.
Mayo Clinic suggests that “excess gas is often a symptom of chronic intestinal conditions, such as diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.”
So, farts not only provide information about the gut microbiome and foods people eat, but they also provide KEY information about someone’s CAPACITY TO DIGEST foods and might be a sign of more-serious issues!
Testing for farts (and gut health)
As a licensed naturopathic doctor, I aim to treat my patients holistically. What that means is that I want to identify and address the underlying root issues behind their concerns.
Now, as mentioned earlier, gut health is linked to skin issues I commonly see in-office. And for folks with both gut issues and skin concerns, it might be worthwhile to get labs done to see what is going on with their gut.
So, let’s talk about some tests for farts (and gut health)!
As mentioned, gut bacteria, digestion, and foods are key things to consider.
When looking at gut bacteria, there are several tests that may be completed to identify someone’s gut bacterial profile.
One gut bacteria issue that is linked to farts and other gut symptoms (such as bloat, abdominal discomfort, and changes to bowel movements) is small intestinal bacteria overgrowth (SIBO). (Learn more: Learn how SIBO and other gut issues are linked to Rosacea)
Other issues linked to farts and other gut symptoms can also involve gut infections.
To identify gut infections, there are stool tests that a licensed provider can suggest to their patients. And to check for SIBO, there is are breath tests that a licensed provider can suggest as well.
In regards to digestion, a provider may look into food intolerances. As mentioned earlier, food intolerances involve issues with enzymes that break down foods.
While it’s common for most providers to suggest avoiding dairy and seeing if symptoms improve if providers suspect lactose intolerance, other providers may order a breath test to confirm lactose intolerance.
Now, this is just a BRIEF overview of what testing options are available, and there are MANY other tests that a licensed provider and a gastroenterologist may suggest to their patients!
Conclusion:
Did this blog post convince you to speak more about farts?
In this blog post, you learned what “normal” is, such as having up to 25 farts a day, that most fart gases are unscented, and that some farts naturally have a scent because of sulfur gas.
You also learned that abnormally higher concentrations of sulfur gas may signs of gut issues.
Other than fart amounts and fart scents, you also learned that farts are essentially because of the foods people eat, how people digest those foods, and how gut bacteria populations look like. Depending on the constellation of gut symptoms someone has with farts, there are several testing options to identify the root cause that you learned in this blog post.
So, I hope you feel a bit more comfortable talking about your farts after reading this blog post. And, I hope that you also start to normalize fart talk with your community!
Now, if you have both gut issues and skin issues, it might be worthwhile to address your skin holistically.
For those in the Los Angeles-area who are looking for holistic skin solutions, book your appointment with me at The Things We Do by clicking the button below.
For individuals outside of California, you can find the nearest licensed naturopathic doctor (ND) to you on the Institute for Natural Medicine’s directory of licensed providers by clicking here: Find An ND.
Want to learn about skin health from a holistic & integrative POV? Read my articles on:
To stay up-to-date about future articles on my website, click here sure to sign up for my email newsletter. And, if you want to set up an appointment with me, click here.