How to relieve the embarrassment of "fart trouble" at a New Year's Eve dinner? Don't think it's just because you ate too much

What do farts sound like to different people?

Normal people: Poof

People who stay up late: I must go to bed early tonight

People who are losing weight: You will lose weight after eating this meal

(Just kidding)

What's wrong with farting too much?

Are loud and smelly farts a disease?

Is it better to fart or not fart?

Regarding fart, this popular science article must be read

Farting is a normal physiological phenomenon of human beings. There are two main sources of farts. One is the outside air inhaled through the mouth, such as the air that enters the gastrointestinal tract through the mouth when eating, drinking water, and breathing; the other is the gas produced by the fermentation of food residues by bacteria in the large intestine and rectum.

When we eat, food enters the gastrointestinal tract and is acted upon by the normal flora of the digestive tract, producing various gases such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, oxygen, and methane. The air we inhale and the gases produced in the body follow the peristalsis of the intestines and are discharged from the anus, forming farts. When farting, due to the action of the anal sphincter, a sound is sometimes produced, commonly known as "loud farts".

Therefore, farting is a sign of normal intestinal function .

Sometimes excessive farting is caused by...

Eating too much starchy food , such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, taro, etc., will cause the sugar in them to decompose and produce gas, the cellulose to accumulate and produce gas, and some foods also have an oxidase that easily produces carbon dioxide.

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People who eat too much tofu, dried tofu and other bean foods also fart a lot , because the "soy oligosaccharides" in these foods cannot be broken down by enzymes and can only be used by intestinal bacteria to produce gas.

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In addition, friends who eat too fast, chew gum, or drink carbonated drinks also fart a lot because this makes it easy for a large amount of air to enter the gastrointestinal tract.

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Pay attention to these situations

A moderate amount of farting is a normal physiological condition, but if the farting suddenly increases within a certain period of time, it may be a problem with the digestive system , such as chronic gastritis, early gastric cancer, infectious hepatitis, early liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, gallstones, pancreatic disease, chronic enteritis, colon cancer, intestinal tuberculosis, etc. These diseases may initially manifest as indigestion symptoms such as frequent farts, abdominal distension, and bowel sounds, which should be taken seriously.

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In addition, constipation causes feces to stay in the intestines for a longer time, and gas-producing bacteria continue to multiply in the intestines, which can also cause frequent farts.

The gases produced by the intestines are mainly hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane, which are all odorless, so most of the time farts actually have no smell at all .

If your farts are particularly smelly, like rotten eggs, it is because you have eaten too much protein food (such as meat), causing food retention in the intestines. After the retained protein food is broken down in the digestive tract, amines are produced, and amines have this rotten egg smell.

The problem of "smelly farts" can be solved by reducing the amount of food you eat, especially the amount of protein-containing foods.

Pay attention to these situations

If you have a fishy smelling fart and:

Changes in bowel habits

Changes in stool characteristics (thinner stools, bloody stools, mucus in stools, etc.)

Bloating, pain, or discomfort

Abdominal mass

Anemia, weight loss, fatigue

This may indicate that there is a lesion in the intestine. The diseased tissue will cause the farts to be mixed with some bloody and fishy smells. It is best to go to the hospital for a check-up as soon as possible!

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Some friends may not dare to fart for the sake of face, and force themselves to hold the fart back. But where does the fart go?

It will slowly pass through the intestinal mucosa and be reabsorbed into the blood, reach the liver through the blood circulation, be filtered by the liver, reach the lungs, and be exhaled out of the body.

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In other words, a fart that is held in will eventually come out of your mouth or nose. So, your burp may be a fart that you haven't released yet! This is why some people's burps smell extremely bad.

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In addition, when you hold in your farts, your anus will be under great pressure, which is not good for the health of the anus and can easily lead to diseases such as hemorrhoids. Holding in your farts frequently can also easily lead to a large amount of gas accumulation in the body, affecting intestinal function and causing symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, and chest tightness. Therefore, the saying "let it out quickly if you have to fart" does make sense.

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Pay attention to these situations

If you don’t fart all day long, you may have health problems!

If a newborn does not fart , it may indicate an incomplete development of the digestive system, such as congenital megacolon, imperforate anus, or anal dysplasia.

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If an adult does not fart and has symptoms such as abdominal distension, abdominal pain, abdominal mass, vomiting, etc., it is necessary to consider whether there is a problem with the anorectum, such as inflammation, tumor, constipation, hemorrhoids, etc., and an anal tube should be inserted to exhaust gas when necessary. If a person has intussusception, intestinal torsion, or intestinal obstruction and cannot fart, it is because the fart is blocked by the intestines. In this case, go to the hospital immediately.

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Idiom Challenge:

Farting in the bed,——.

Waiting for talented friends online

Share your answers in the comments section!

Statement: This article is a medical-related educational popular science article. It does not involve specific treatment methods or medical behaviors and cannot replace hospital visits.

Experts who reviewed this article

References

[1] National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China. Chinese guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer (2020 edition)[J]. Chinese Journal of Surgery, 2020, 58(8):25. DOI:10.3760/cma.j.cn112139-20200518-00390.

[2] Yang Yaqin. Farting and defecation as a sign of cancer[J]. Medicine and Health Care, 2012(4):2.DOI:CNKI:SUN:TAKE.0.2012-04-037.

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