6 Things Your Farts Can Tell You About Your Health

Farting may seem embarrassing, but it's a part of everyone's life.

"Flatulence is the byproduct of your digestive system breaking down and processing food and nutrients," Niket Sonpal, MD, an internist and gastroenterologist in New York City, told Health. "Gas and air build up in your gastrointestinal tract when you eat, chew, and swallow—some of which is absorbed naturally by the body—and then gets released as a fart or burp."

Farting throughout the day and night is largely a good thing; the buildup of gas would lead to uncomfortable bloating otherwise. In short, breaking wind makes you feel better. But that doesn't mean you should totally ignore your farts. Paying attention to their frequency, smell, and if they occur with any additional GI symptoms can clue you into what's going on with your body and even tip you off to some potentially serious conditions. Here are six types of farts you should take note of and what they're trying to tell you.

Constipation and Farting

Fiber helps keep your poop moving along and prevents constipation. Consuming 25 to 29 grams of dietary fiber each day is optimal, according to a 2019 Lancet meta-analysis.

While most people need to work on consuming more fiber, farts that happen when you're constipated might be a sign that you're eating too much of it. "If people eat an excess of fiber, this can begin to cause gas, bloating, cramps, and—paradoxically—constipation," said Dr. Sonpal. Why's that? Fiber bulks up and solidifies your stool. If you ingest too much, your bowel movements can become hard to pass, Dr. Sonpal said.

To get unblocked and stop the gas, drink more water and increase—or decrease—your fiber intake slowly, Dr. Sonpal said.

Frequent Farting

Carbonated drinks could be the culprit. Seltzer, soda, and carbonated booze, such as beer and hard seltzer, can introduce more air (and thus gas) into your GI tract, making farting more frequent, said Dr. Sonpal, especially if one of these is the go-to beverage you sip around the clock. Try cutting back on bubbly beverages.

If you're not sure your carbonation habit is the cause, keep a record of your intake (including times when gas is a problem) and bring it to your healthcare provider, who can help suss things out and recommend alternative beverages that don't make you break wind.

Smelly Farts

By nature, farts don't smell…great. (If they did, quiet farts wouldn't be known as SBDs: silent but deadly.) But if yours seriously reek, you can think about pinning the blame on all the high-sulfur foods lurking in your diet. "Sulfur-rich foods like broccoli and Brussels sprouts will give off that rotten egg smell when broken down in the digestive system," said Dr. Sonpal. The same garbage stench can also happen after consuming other cruciferous vegetables (like cauliflower), garlic, onions, cheese, beans, dried fruit, and—surprise!—wine.

In most cases, the smell is nothing to worry about. But if it persists, you might want to see your healthcare provider. A 2017 research article published in the Scandanavian Journal of Gastroenterology points out that it's possible the smell is linked to inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Farts With Abdominal Discomfort

Farts accompanied by abdominal pain or discomfort after eating could be attributed to food intolerance. "The prime example is if you drink milk or eat cheese and then feel cramps and have excessive flatulence that also smells like a manifestation of doomsday," said Dr. Sonpal.

In this case, you'd have lactose intolerance, which means your body doesn't absorb lactose (the sugar in dairy products) until "it gets to the small intestine where bacteria break it down, releasing fully foul-smelling farts," Dr. Sonpal said. Eliminate dairy from your diet, and see if the stinky farts vanish. If not, check in with a healthcare professional who can help pinpoint what food or food group isn't agreeing with your system.

Periodic Stinky Farts

You might be having period farts, which typically strike right as your flow is due to begin. Like everything else menstruation-related, it's hormonal: As estrogen rises at this time of the month, your uterus produces hormone-like chemicals called prostaglandins, which help shed the uterine lining, explained Dr. Sonpal.

"If too much is produced, it can work its way through your system and make other organs contract, including your bowels," Dr. Sonpal said. Bacterial changes during this time of the month also affect digestion, and that can leave you with smellier farts as well. Try eating unprocessed, easy-to-digest foods before you expect your period to start and holding off on the three-bean chili or cruciferous veggie platter until after it's over.

Farting and Pooping More (or Less) Than Usual

Excess stress can affect your farts—who knew? When you're under pressure, you might turn to foods that you normally don't consume (like processed snacks and late-night bowls of ice cream), which can affect your digestion, said Dr. Sonpal. Stress can also make you gulp and swallow more air without intending to. And, of course, anxiety does a number on your GI system and changes your pooping frequency, Dr. Sonpal said.

We're all stressed out these days, but if you don't want your stress level to affect your GI tract, try practicing de-stress techniques like mindful meditation and deep breathing, which can keep you from swallowing excess air. And be more aware of gas-producing foods you might be stress-eating.