It doesn’t matter what your age, gender, nationality, or any other demographic metric you want to throw out there, because we all have this in common: We fart.
Flatulence may be frowned upon in general society, and is even taboo in some cultures, it’s a necessary means for good health. So in honour of farts, here are some fun facts you can ‘blow’ people away with.
Humans fart up to 25 times per day
The average person farts anywhere from 12 to 25 times per day. If you don’t think you’re farting that much, trust us, you are – you just may not be aware of it. In fact, flatulence occurs at all hours of the day and night. That’s right, you fart when you sleep, too.
Humans produce up to 1.5 litres (0.39 gallons) of gas per day
People expel between 0.5 and 1.5 litres (0.13 and 0.39 gallons) of gas from their rectums each day (for those doing the math at home, that’s between 182.5 and 547.5 litres (48 and 145 gallons) of gas per year). Think of that amount as enough to fill a small pool.
Less than 1% of farts stink
Contrary to public opinion, not all intestinal gas smells bad. In fact, less than 1% of farts are stinky. The rest of the time, flatulence is virtually unnoticeable.
Farts occur six to eight hours after eating
Have you noticed your flatulence typically peaks in the afternoon and evening? You’re not alone. That farting that occurs two to three hours after the midday meal is caused by your breakfast, not your lunch. Similarly, eating before bed means you’ll probably be passing gas all night, and in the morning when you wake up, too. Now that’s what we call bacon and ‘eggs’.
Related: Why do your farts smell that bad?
Chewing gum causes flatulence
Chewing gum prevents bad breath, but it doesn’t stop all bad smells. Chewing gum not only increase the amount of air you swallow, but chewing gum contains artificial sweeteners, which are known to give you gas.
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