Myth: Farting lowers blood pressure and improves heart health. Fact: There is no evidence that farting lowers blood pressure. The Exeter research found effects of AP39 in laboratory and animal models, not effects of farting in people. Blood pressure is managed with diet, activity, weight, alcohol, smoking, and prescribed medicines.
Myth: Loud farts are unhealthier than quiet farts. Fact: Loudness depends on sphincter tension, body position, and how quickly gas escapes. It tells you nothing about your gut health.
Myth: Women do not fart. Fact: Men and women fart at a similar frequency and both produce smelly gas. Social norms, not biology, explain the stereotype.
Myth: Holding in a fart is dangerous. Fact: Holding in a fart occasionally is harmless, though it can cause bloating and discomfort. There is no good evidence that it causes serious harm in healthy people.
Myth: You can detox gas away. Fact: There is no good evidence that detox teas, cleanses, or supplements eliminate gas in healthy people. Some can cause diarrhoea or disturb the gut.
Myth: Probiotics fix all gas. Fact: Some probiotics may help some people, particularly those with IBS or after antibiotics, but the evidence is strain-specific and modest. Probiotics are not a substitute for dietary changes or medical investigation when gas comes with other symptoms.
Myth: If you fart a lot, you must have a disease. Fact: Frequent farting is often just a sign of a high-fibre, plant-rich diet, or of swallowing a lot of air. It becomes a concern when it is a change from your usual pattern, or when it comes with pain, bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, weight loss, or blood.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many times a day is it normal to fart? There is no single number. The NHS gives an average of five to fifteen times a day. Cleveland Clinic describes a typical range of fourteen to twenty-three times a day. The Mayo Clinic describes more than twenty times a day as excessive. What matters most is your own usual pattern and whether gas comes with other symptoms.
Why do my farts smell so bad sometimes? Usually because you have eaten sulfur-rich foods, such as meat, eggs, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, onions, or beans. Gut bacteria break down sulfur compounds and produce hydrogen sulfide, which smells of rotten eggs. If the smell is new, persistent, and very foul, and comes with other symptoms, see your doctor.
Why do I fart more on a vegan or vegetarian diet? Plant-based diets are high in fibre, legumes, and sulfur-rich vegetables, all of which increase fermentation in the colon. Gas usually settles as your gut bacteria adapt, especially if you increase fibre gradually.
Does holding in a fart make it go away? No. The gas stays in the gut and can cause bloating and pain. Some is absorbed into the bloodstream and breathed out, but most remains until it is released.
Can stress make me fart more? Yes, indirectly. Stress can change gut motility, increase sensitivity to gas, and increase air swallowing. Managing stress, sleeping well, and eating mindfully can help some people.
Should I cut out dairy if I think it causes gas? Try a short, careful trial first, and talk to your doctor or dietitian before cutting out dairy long-term. Many people with lactose intolerance can tolerate small amounts of dairy, hard cheese, yoghurt, or lactose-free products. Dairy is an important source of calcium and vitamin D.
Should I try a low-FODMAP diet? Only with guidance from a registered dietitian. A low-FODMAP diet can help some people with IBS, but it is restrictive and should be followed for a short period, with structured reintroduction, not as a long-term diet on your own.
When should I see a doctor about gas? See a doctor if gas is persistent, severe, or accompanied by abdominal pain, blood in your stool, persistent diarrhoea or constipation, unintentional weight loss, fever, vomiting, or a rash, or if it significantly interferes with your daily life.
Conclusion
Farts are normal, universal, and, when you know how to read them, informative. They are made from swallowed air and from gas produced by gut bacteria fermenting food that your body could not digest on its own. Most of that gas is odourless. The small, smelly fraction comes mainly from sulfur, and it often tells you what you ate, not that you are ill. Scentless farts are usually just swallowed air. Frequent farting is often just a sign of a high-fibre diet, or of eating quickly, drinking fizzy drinks, or chewing gum. Extremely foul-smelling, frequent gas that comes with pain, bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, or weight loss is a different pattern, and it deserves medical attention, because it can point to lactose intolerance, IBS, coeliac disease, SIBO, or an infection.
The myths are worth letting go of. Loudness does not matter. Men and women fart at a similar rate. Holding gas in briefly will not harm you, but it will not help either. And smelling a fart does not prevent cancer or lower blood pressure, however catchy the headline. The real science of hydrogen sulfide is more modest and more promising: a laboratory compound that delivers tiny amounts of the gas to mitochondria can protect cells under stress in a dish, and researchers are working to see whether that can one day become a treatment. That is a reason for scientific optimism, not a health tip.
The most useful approach is also the simplest. Know your own baseline. Notice changes. Keep a brief food and symptom diary if gas changes. Eat slowly, increase fibre gradually, drink enough water, move regularly, and do not ignore persistent symptoms. Talk about gas plainly with your doctor when you need to. Your gut is working for you every day, and a little attention to what it is telling you β without embarrassment and without panic β is one of the easiest ways to look after it.
*This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are concerned about your symptoms, speak to your doctor or another qualified healthcare professional.*
References
1. NHS (UK) β Flatulence: causes, self-help, and when to see a GP. nhs.uk.
2. NHS (UK) β Bloating: causes and self-help. nhs.uk.
3. Mayo Clinic β Gas and gas pains: symptoms and causes. mayoclinic.org.
4. Mayo Clinic β Intestinal gas: causes. mayoclinic.org.
5. Cleveland Clinic β Flatulence (Farting): what it is and causes. my.clevelandclinic.org.
6. Cleveland Clinic β Why you fart during sex, and when excessive flatulence needs care. health.clevelandclinic.org.
7. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) β Gas in the Digestive Tract. niddk.nih.gov.
8. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) β Lactose Intolerance. niddk.nih.gov.
9. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) β Celiac Disease. niddk.nih.gov.
10. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) β Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). niddk.nih.gov.
11. American College of Gastroenterology β Belching, Bloating, and Flatulence. gi.org.
12. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health β Fiber. hsph.harvard.edu.
13. NHS (UK) β Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). nhs.uk.
14. NHS (UK) β Coeliac Disease. nhs.uk.
15. University of Exeter β Rotten egg gas holds key to healthcare therapies (AP39 press release). exeter.ac.uk.
16. Szczesny, B., et al. β The synthesis and functional evaluation of a mitochondria-targeted hydrogen sulfide donor, AP39. Medicinal Chemistry Communications, 2014.
17. Ahmad, A., et al. β AP39, a mitochondrially targeted hydrogen sulfide donor, exerts protective effects in renal epithelial cells subjected to oxidative stress in vitro and in acute renal injury in vivo. Shock, 2016.
18. GerΕ, D., et al. β The novel mitochondria-targeted hydrogen sulfide donors AP123 and AP39 protect against hyperglycemic injury in microvascular endothelial cells in vitro. Pharmacological Research, 2016.
19. World Health Organization β Healthy diet and cardiovascular health guidance. who.int.
20. American Heart Association β High blood pressure: prevention and management. heart.org.
