While breaking wind could help protect against Alzheimer’s and postpartum depression, there can be too much of a “good” thing.
Scientists recently discovered that we’re passing gas a lot more often than previously thought, thanks to some smarty underpants.
Previous research pinpointed an average of 14 toots a day.
But researchers at the University of Maryland recently developed technology to measure human flatulence accurately — and it’s up to an average of 32 farts a day.
In an effort to understand excessive gastrointestinal issues and gut microbes better, the team created Smart Underwear, a tiny wearable device that snaps discreetly onto underwear.
Electrochemical sensors track intestinal gas production and hydrogen in flatus around the clock — except when the person is on the toilet.
Individual rates varied widely, with some farting as few as four times a day and others up to 59 times.
Previous estimates were so much lower due to self-reporting errors, invasive techniques that provided inaccurate data or people’s perceptions about what counts as flatulence.
In 2000, Dr. Michael Levitt, a gastroenterologist known as the “King of Farts,” said, “It is virtually impossible for the physician to objectively document the existence of excessive gas using currently available tests.”
The researchers hope this new technology can provide better insight into what constitutes a normal gas range, like the optimal levels spelled out for cholesterol and blood pressure.
“We don’t actually know what normal flatus production looks like,” said Brantley Hall, an assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics at UMD.
“Without that baseline, it’s hard to know when someone’s gas production is truly excessive.”
Hall noted the device, which is not yet available to the public, is similar to a continuous glucose monitor but detects increased hydrogen levels instead.
Tracking hydrogen in farts can provide more information about how active microbiomes in the gut work to ferment food and when.
To gather more data about how often people fart, the research team has launched the Human Flatus Atlas, a project to measure the gas patterns of hundreds of participants and categorize them by diet and microbiome composition.
They’re looking for participants who consume high-fiber diets but don’t fart much, those who fart a lot and people who fall in between the two categories.
