Farting might be embarrassing—especially when it’s noticeable (sound, smell). But it’s actually important for your health.
There are benefits to letting it rip throughout the day (most of them go undetected, anyway.)
“Farting can tell us a lot about our digestive health. It’s actually very normal to pass gas over a dozen times a day, and lack of gas may indicate less diversity in lower digestive tract bacteria,” says Kelly Jones MS, RD, CSSD, LDN, of Kelly Jones Nutrition.
Having a diverse microbiome is important to good health in many ways, including improved mood and fitness performance, better heart health, and a healthier immune system. If you aren’t farting enough, see a doctor to better understand why and how to get things moving better in your digestive system. In the meantime, start making your microbiome more diverse with these strategies.
But if you are farting frequently enough, here’s what it’s doing for you:
- It helps to relieve constipation and bloating. When gas builds up in the intestines, it can cause discomfort and pain. Farting helps to release this gas and alleviate these symptoms.
- It can indicate a healthy gut. A healthy gut produces a moderate amount of gas and is able to pass it easily.
- It can also help to keep the colon healthy. The colon is responsible for absorbing water from undigested food matter, and releasing gas helps to move the remaining material through the intestines.
- Farting can also be an indicator of certain health conditions such as lactose intolerance, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease and more.
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However, excessive gas or foul-smelling gas may be a sign of an underlying health issue, so if you’re concerned, it’s always best to consult with a healthcare professional.
