Smelly, thunderous, persistent or silent: Australians are being asked to log their farts for science.
The CSIRO hopes to collect flatulence data from tens of thousands of people, including frequency, odor, loudness and duration, to help researchers better understand the country’s gut health.
Dietitian Megan Rebuli said some people found farts embarrassing and uncomfortable, but healthy bodies were meant to let them go.
“Sometimes it makes a sound and can surprise you. Sometimes there’s a smell that might make you uncomfortable,” she said.
“The passing of wind is a natural phenomenon and a sign that our digestive system is working properly.”
Rebuli said the average person passes wind between seven and 20 times a day.
“It’s really variable depending on the type of food you eat, how much fiber you eat and how much exercise you do,” she said.
“This is the big question: what is normal? We really want to get good, comprehensive data to determine that number.”
She said flatulence occurs when our bodies release excess gas that is released when breaking down and processing food.
“Different foods, medical conditions or even the way we chew or swallow can affect how our body processes the excess gas, leading to different odors, frequency or even volume,” she said.
Flatulence is made up of several gases, but only one of them, hydrogen sulfide, causes strong odors. It is produced by bacteria in the intestines that break down and ferment a wide variety of foods during digestion, but it can also be an indicator that something is wrong.
“If something comes on suddenly, there’s a particularly strong odor or if the odor is very different, that could be a sign that something else is going on, maybe an infection or some kind of intolerance,” Rebuli said.
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A 2021 CSIRO gut health survey found that more than 60% of Australians reported excessive flatulence, with more than 40% experiencing it most days.
Rebuli said a person’s gut health is an important indicator of their overall health.
“People often complain of excessive gas or bloating and what we want to know is what is normal and what people should expect, and if things go differently, what would that look like?”
People aged 14 or over are invited to track their flatulence using the free Chart Your Fart phone app.
“If you go into the app, you can click record and then five attributes pop up… We have odor, loudness, duration, lingering and detectability on a sliding scale,” Rebuli said.
“The app literally starts mapping when you fart.”