It seems like Russian roulette whether your farts are going to be a transient woosh of empty air, or a sinister gust of deadly pollution.
Why is it that sometimes I don’t even notice a slight smell, and other times I worry for the Earth’s o-zone layer?
Well Dr. Myron Brand, a gastroenterologist at Connecticut Gastroenterology Consultants, spoke to Thrillist about what makes some of your flatulence so fatal.
It turns out that we have control over the stench by what we eat.
Dr Brand said:
Smelly odor is not bad, it’s just a function of what you’re eating and what your bacteria is doing inside your gastrointestinal tract. Everyone is different. Foul smell just means the carbohydrates you consume are being malabsorbed — it’s fermented.
Annoyingly, healthy living comes at the price of some really stinky farts.
Fiber-rich foods like broccoli, sprouts and quinoa boost gut bacteria, causing a lot more gas.
Protein is another thing that makes those trumps reak, so you know all those meat-heads at the gym are producing some serious methane.
Okay it’s not methane, it’s sulfur gas. If you’ve ever been to a hot spring or volcano, you’ll have smelled that familiar eggy aroma.
Dr Brand went on to say:
Some people are methane producers, and some people are hydrogen sulfide producers — which causes flatulence to smell like rotten egg. It’s all a function of what you eat.
Fun fact: the average person farts 10-20 times a day.
