We fart twice as much as previously thought: Scientists

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Turns out we’re cutting the cheese a lot more than we thought, according to “smart underwear” developed by scientists.

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To improve research into excessive gas and gut microbes, researchers at the University of Maryland created Smart Underwear, a wearable device that snaps onto your underwear to measure human flatulence. By tracking hydrogen levels in gas, Smart Underwear helps scientists rethink how often people actually fart in a day, which the team says was previously more difficult to do.

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“For decades, physicians have struggled to help patients with intestinal gas complaints,” the team wrote in a news release. “As gastroenterologist Michael Levitt, known in the field as the ‘King of Farts,’ wrote in 2000: ‘It is virtually impossible for the physician to objectively document the existence of excessive gas using currently available tests.’”

Sniffing around for more data

Electrochemical sensors in the device track gas production and hydrogen in farts — except, ironically, when the person is on the toilet.

Rates varied, with some farting as few as four times a day and others up to 59 times.

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Scientists hope this new technology can provide more insight into how much expelled gas should be considered a normal rate, such as the optimal levels spelled out for cholesterol and blood pressure.

“We don’t actually know what normal flatus production looks like,” said Brantley Hall, of the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Maryland, told the NY Post.

“Without that baseline, it’s hard to know when someone’s gas production is truly excessive.”

Fart atlas

To gain more data about farts, the team has launched the Human Flatus Atlas, an initiative to measure hundreds of gas patterns and categorize them by diet and microbiome composition. Scientists are looking in particular for people who consume high amounts of fiber but don’t fart all that much.

Cranking your way to better health

Farting is actually good for you in more ways than just alleviating gas, say scientists. Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine found that hydrogen sulfide, the chemical that makes your farts smell like rotten eggs, could protect your brain from cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.

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