Just been wondering why do we fart? đ Is it because food is getting digested or is it because it is not getting digested properly?
COâ is produced by the same chemical process of cellular respiration, no matter whether itâs our own bodiesâ cells doing the respiring, or the cells of our gut bacteria. And cellular respiration is how cells use sugar and âunlockâ the energy that it contains: all living cells do it, because they would die if they didnât.
When we produce COâ, it goes into the bloodstream, and then our lungs remove it, and we breathe it out. But when our gut bacteria produce COâ, it ends up in our guts, because thatâs where the gut bacteria live.
So COâ production in the gut is a necessary side effect of the fact that our gut bacteria are alive.
When this COâ accumulates, thatâs a fart.
This is also why certain foods make you fart. Our bodies can digest some of the sugars and some of the energy, but not all of them. Dietary fiber is one of the things our bodiesâ canât digest; but our gut bacteria can, and when they do, they end up producing more COâ than usual. So if we eat more fiber than usual, our gut bacteria will go into overdrive to digest it; that produces more COâ, and that COâ results in more farting.
Others explained the process here but itâs good to add that farts are 100% normal and not something you should worry about (I think 10 to 20 per day is considered normal, otherwise yes itâs good to consult a doctor).
Bugs. As in bacteria in your gut, combined with fiber and undigestible sugars. Your digestive enzymes and chemicals canât break those down but those bacteria love them and one byproduct of their metabolism is various gases.
Some farting is totally normal.
If you are noticing excessive farting and itâs coming with gut pain or other symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, etc. then that can be a sign that something is wrong. Youâll see this in folks with lactose or fructose intoleranceâtheyâre not digesting these sugars that are found in foods (dairy for lactose, many things for fructose) so their gut bacteria do and that results in excess gas production in the intestines.
There is also a bit of trend in âclean eatingâ to really load up on high fiber foods, and as a result people are getting these symptomsâbloating, cramping, excessive farting. Itâs just eating too much of a good thing, rather than a specific issue.
I ate a big bowl of Tortellini one time on a date, and then took her back to my place to watch some movies. I was so bloated that I ripped a nasty loud one as soon as she put her arm on my belly for a cuddle.