What are farts?

[MrJamie18]

I'm guessing that farts are excess air in our bodies, but how does it get there? I thought air only went into our lungs and then back out again?

Also, I fat quite a lot. Is there a way to try and stop it happening so much (and so loud).

P.S: This is a serious question, just incase you think it's a joke lol.

[ursula62]

Everyone takes in a certain amount of air with their food, particularly if they eat very fast. This is normally passed out of your system as farts, but there's more to farts than that!

Farts are made up of methane and other gases, e.g carbon dioxide, and are produced when the body breaks down certain foods. E.g. beans, vegetables, bran, (usually foods containing lots of fibre).

You may also "fart" the smells of artificial flavouring additives added to food, e.g. Linda McCartney's vegetarian sausages make your farts smell like the sausages.

[MrJamie18]

Hm...I do eat quite fast. That's probably why I do it so much. Great news about the sausages, I think I'll buy them just to see if it really works lol!

[redmug100]

Things like beans. cauliflower, cabbage cant be broken down and digested in the human stomach  and have to be digested by the friendly bacteria in the colon. This process produces carbon dioxide and this is mixed with the methane already in the food. Things like eggs and meat can be digested in the stomach but contain small amounts of hydrogen sulphite (sp?) This gas is where the smell comes from. Then add in onions which has an effect on the linning of the colon (wet farts!) and chilli (hot farts!) which speeds up the action of the colon.

Best way to stop excesive farts is to cut down on things like beans, fresh baked bread & pizza ( the yeast can carry on working even after you've eaten it) beer and sugar. Be cautious about the amount of cooked onions you eat. And just remember that eveyone farts including the Queen and the pope.