Oct 3, 2023 05:54 PM
https://www.livescience.com/health/food-...iest-farts
EXCERPT: . . . However, not all of the gas that bacteria produce from food become smelly farts. A person produces about 30 to 91 cubic inches (500 to 1,500 milliliters) of flatus every day regardless of their diet, and over 99% of those gases are odorless, Rezaie said. Unscented gases — like methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen — all contribute to farts, but gassiness doesn't necessarily correlate with stench.
Offensive gases include hydrogen sulfide, known for its rotten-egg smell; indoles; and skatoles, "which, as the name implies, smells like poo," Dr. Eric Goldstein, a gastroenterologist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, told Live Science. But, when it comes to converting food into gas, it's not a one-to-one conversion rate in the gut.
"You can eat a ton of sulfur-containing compounds and have bacteria present that are making hydrogen sulfide," but "your flatulence will not smell like hydrogen sulfide," Goldstein said. Instead, the hydrogen-sulfide-producing bacteria may be counterbalanced by other bacteria feasting on that very compound. Sulfur-rich foods include legumes (such as lentils, beans and peas) and brassicas (such as broccoli and cabbage). These fibrous veggies also contain insoluble carbs that bacteria in the colon may convert into stinky gas.
Goldstein and Rezaie emphasized that many factors affect the volume and smell of flatulence. While we can assess common compounds in both foods and farts, some people have unique food sensitivities based on their gut microbiome. Insoluble sugars generally provide the basis for noxious gas, but there are no universal foods that become a polluting toot from every rear end.
"The gas production of bacteria in our gut is not just dependent on what you eat," Rezaie said. "It's all dependent on what other gas-producing bacteria in the gut that are feeding them other gases." (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPT: . . . However, not all of the gas that bacteria produce from food become smelly farts. A person produces about 30 to 91 cubic inches (500 to 1,500 milliliters) of flatus every day regardless of their diet, and over 99% of those gases are odorless, Rezaie said. Unscented gases — like methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen — all contribute to farts, but gassiness doesn't necessarily correlate with stench.
Offensive gases include hydrogen sulfide, known for its rotten-egg smell; indoles; and skatoles, "which, as the name implies, smells like poo," Dr. Eric Goldstein, a gastroenterologist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, told Live Science. But, when it comes to converting food into gas, it's not a one-to-one conversion rate in the gut.
"You can eat a ton of sulfur-containing compounds and have bacteria present that are making hydrogen sulfide," but "your flatulence will not smell like hydrogen sulfide," Goldstein said. Instead, the hydrogen-sulfide-producing bacteria may be counterbalanced by other bacteria feasting on that very compound. Sulfur-rich foods include legumes (such as lentils, beans and peas) and brassicas (such as broccoli and cabbage). These fibrous veggies also contain insoluble carbs that bacteria in the colon may convert into stinky gas.
Goldstein and Rezaie emphasized that many factors affect the volume and smell of flatulence. While we can assess common compounds in both foods and farts, some people have unique food sensitivities based on their gut microbiome. Insoluble sugars generally provide the basis for noxious gas, but there are no universal foods that become a polluting toot from every rear end.
"The gas production of bacteria in our gut is not just dependent on what you eat," Rezaie said. "It's all dependent on what other gas-producing bacteria in the gut that are feeding them other gases." (MORE - missing details)
