Fart. Trump. Toot. Break wind. Cut one loose. Let one rip. Guff. Everyone does it.
Some people do it more than others and what’s normal is different for everyone.
The NHS states the average person farts five to 15 times a day on average, but if you notice a big change or excess wind is starting to affect your life, there are things you can do.
Top medical experts have revealed the main culprits for causing us to break wind more than usual and how to know if it’s indicating something more serious, as reported by The Sun .
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Fizzy drinks
Bubbly liquids can be a major contributor, along with chewing gum and drinking through a straw, which all cause air to become trapped in the colon, contributing to 50% of excessive farts.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and Clinical Director of Patient.info, says fizzy drinks, using straws, stress, and eating quickly or while you are chatting can all make you more likely to swallow a lot of wind, causing you to burp and fart more often than usual.
Inflammatory bowel disease
Dr Daniel Atkinson, GP Clinical Lead at Treated.com, says farting could be a sign of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which he explains tends to refer to Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
Symptoms of IBD include pain or swelling of the stomach, fatigue and recurring diarrhea, which tend to come and go in flare ups.
Vegetables
Salad may be good for you, but it can cause you to let a few more go than usual.
Cabbage, sprouts and broccoli all contain a carbohydrate which make them difficult to digest, leaving them to sit in your stomach longer producing gas.
Dr Jarvis says: “Everyone knows that certain foods make you more prone to wind.
“These include so-called ‘brassica’ vegetables – Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli – as well as onion, wheat cherries and plums, and foods high in soluble fibre like baked beans, peas and lentils.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Irritable bowel syndrome
Also known as IBS , the condition affects the digestive system and can be very uncomfortable.
Symptoms include flatulence, stomach cramping, bloating and constipation.
Dr Atkinson says although the condition is life-long, it can be managed through lifestyle changes such as exercise, reducing your intake of spicy food, and avoiding hard to digest food such as beans and broccoli.
Processed foods
Fast food such as burgers and pizza may be good for your taste buds but they do no favours for the balance of healthy bacteria in your gut.
Eating a lot of processed foods and skipping fruit and veg can unbalance the levels of bacteria in your gut, resulting in more trumps.
Coeliac disease
If you’ve been farting more often than you feel you should be for a prolonged period of time, Dr Atkinson suggests you may have Coeliac’s disease.
Other symptoms include constipation, abdominal pain and indigestion.
Dr Atkinson says the disease can be ‘very painful’ and is trigged by eating gluten, found in foods like pasta, cereal and bread.
He added: “Opting for gluten-free alternatives will help to manage the symptoms of the disease.”
