Volume

Main articles: Antiflatulent and Carminative

One method of reducing the volume of flatus produced is dietary modification,
reducing the amount of fermentable carbohydrates. This is the theory behind diets
such as the low-FODMAP diet (a diet low in fermentable oligosaccharides,
[36]
disaccharides, monosaccharides, alcohols, and polyols).

Most starches, including potatoes, corn, noodles, and wheat, produce gas as they
[15]
are broken down in the large intestine. Intestinal gas can be reduced by
fermenting the beans, and making them less gas-inducing, or by cooking them in the
liquor from a previous batch. For example, the fermented bean product miso is less
likely to produce as much intestinal gas. Some legumes also stand up to prolonged
cooking, which can help break down the oligosaccharides into simple sugars.
Fermentative lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus
[37]
plantarum reduce flatulence in the human intestinal tract.

Probiotics (live yogurt, kefir, etc.) are reputed to reduce flatulence when used to
[38]
restore balance to the normal intestinal flora. Live (bioactive) yogurt contains,
among other lactic bacteria, Lactobacillus acidophilus, which may be useful in
reducing flatulence. L. acidophilus may make the intestinal environment more acidic,
supporting a natural balance of the fermentative processes. L. acidophilus is
available in supplements. Prebiotics, which generally are non-digestible
oligosaccharides, such as fructooligosaccharide, generally increase flatulence in a
similar way as described for lactose intolerance.

Digestive enzyme supplements may significantly reduce the amount of flatulence

caused by some components of foods not being digested by the body and thereby
promoting the action of microbes in the small and large intestines. It has been
suggested that alpha-galactosidase enzymes, which can digest certain complex
[39]
sugars, are effective in reducing the volume and frequency of flatus. The enzymes
alpha-galactosidase, lactase, amylase, lipase, protease, cellulase, glucoamylase,
invertase, malt diastase, pectinase, and bromelain are available, either individually or
in combination blends, in commercial products.

The antibiotic rifaximin, often used to treat diarrhea caused by the microorganism E.
coli, may reduce both the production of intestinal gas and the frequency of flatus
[40]
events.

Odor

Bismuth

The odor created by flatulence is commonly treated with bismuth subgallate,

available under the name Devrom. Bismuth subgallate is commonly used by
individuals who have had ostomy surgery, bariatric surgery, faecal incontinence and
[41][42]
irritable bowel syndrome. Bismuth subsalicylate is a compound that binds
hydrogen sulfide, and one study reported a dose of 524 mg four times a day for 3–7
days bismuth subsalicylate yielded a >95% reduction in faecal hydrogen sulfide
[43]
release in both humans and rats. Another bismuth compound, bismuth subnitrate
[44]
was also shown to bind to hydrogen sulfide. Another study showed that bismuth
acted synergistically with various antibiotics to inhibit sulfate-reducing gut bacteria
[45]
and sulfide production. Some authors proposed a theory that hydrogen sulfide
was involved in the development of ulcerative colitis and that bismuth might be
[46]
helpful in the management of this condition. However, bismuth administration in
rats did not prevent them from developing ulcerative colitis despite reduced
[46]
hydrogen sulfide production. Also, evidence suggests that colonic hydrogen
[2]
sulfide is largely present in bound forms, probably sulfides of iron and other metals.
[47]
Rarely, serious bismuth toxicity may occur with higher doses.

Activated charcoal

Despite being an ancient treatment for various digestive complaints, activated

charcoal did not produce reduction in both the total flatus volume nor the release of
sulfur-containing gasses, and there was no reduction in abdominal symptoms (after
[48]
0.52 g activated charcoal four times a day for one week). The authors suggested
that saturation of charcoal binding sites during its passage through the gut was the
reason for this. A further study concluded that activated charcoal (4 g) does not
[49]
influence gas formation in vitro or in vivo. Other authors reported that activated
charcoal was effective. A study in 8 dogs concluded activated charcoal (unknown
oral dose) reduced hydrogen sulfide levels by 71%. In combination with yucca
schidigera, and zinc acetate, this was increased to an 86% reduction in hydrogen
[50]
sulfide, although flatus volume and number was unchanged. An early study
reported activated charcoal (unknown oral dose) prevented a large increase in the
number of flatus events and increased breath hydrogen concentrations that normally
[51]
occur following a gas-producing meal.

Garments and external devices

In 1998, Chester "Buck" Weimer of Pueblo, Colorado, received a patent for the first
undergarment that contained a replaceable charcoal filter. The undergarments are
air-tight and provide a pocketed escape hole in which a charcoal filter can be
[52]
inserted. In 2001 Weimer received the Ig Nobel Prize for Biology for his invention.
[53]

A similar product was released in 2002, but rather than an entire undergarment,
consumers are able to purchase an insert similar to a pantiliner that contains
[54]
activated charcoal. The inventors, Myra and Brian Conant of Mililani, Hawaii, still
claim on their website to have discovered the undergarment product in 2002 (four
years after Chester Weimer filed for a patent for his product), but state that their tests
[55]
"concluded" that they should release an insert instead.

Incontinence
Main article: Faecal incontinence
Flatus incontinence where there is involuntary passage of gas, is a type of faecal
incontinence, and is managed similarly.

Society and culture

He-gassen (detail), an art scroll depicting a battle of flatulence, from Japan during the Edo
period

A Japanese ukiyo-e print employing fart humor

In many cultures, flatulence in public is regarded as embarrassing, but, depending

[56]
on context, may also be considered humorous. People will often strain to hold in
the passing of gas when in polite company, or position themselves to silence or
[example needed]
conceal the passing of gas. In other cultures, it may be no more
embarrassing than coughing.
While the act of passing flatus in some cultures is generally considered to be an
unfortunate occurrence in public settings, flatulence may, in casual circumstances
and especially among children, be used as either a humorous supplement to a joke
("pull my finger"), or as a comic activity in and of itself. The social acceptability of
flatulence-based humour in entertainment and the mass media varies over the
course of time and between cultures. A sufficient number of entertainers have
performed using their flatus to lead to the coining of the term flatulist. The whoopee
cushion is a joking device invented in the early 20th century for simulating a fart. In
[57]
2008, a farting application for the iPhone earned nearly $10,000 in one day.

A farting game named Touch Wood was documented by John Gregory Bourke in the
[58]
1890s. It was known as Safety in the 20th century in the U.S., and is still played
[58]
by children as of 2011.

In January 2011, the Malawi Minister of Justice, George Chaponda, said that Air
Fouling Legislation would make public "farting" illegal in his country. When reporting
the story, the media satirised Chaponda's statement with punning headlines. Later,
[59]
the minister withdrew his statement.

Environmental impact

The flatulence of cows is only a small portion (around one-twentieth) of cows' methane
[60]
release. Cows also burp methane, due to the physiology of their digestive systems.

Flatulence is often blamed as a significant source of greenhouse gases, owing to the

[61]
erroneous belief that the methane released by livestock is in the flatus. While
[62]
livestock account for around 20% of global methane emissions, 90–95% of that is
[63]
released by exhaling or burping. In cows, gas and burps are produced by
methane-generating microbes called methanogens, which live inside the cow's
digestive system. Proposals for reducing methane production in cows include the
feeding of supplements such as oregano and seaweed, and the genetic engineering
[60]
of gut biome microbes to produce less methane.

Since New Zealand produces large amounts of agricultural products, it has the
unique position of having higher methane emissions from livestock compared to
other greenhouse gas sources. The New Zealand government is a signatory to the
Kyoto Protocol and therefore attempts to reduce greenhouse emissions. To achieve
this, an agricultural emissions research levy was proposed, which promptly became
known as a "fart tax" or "flatulence tax". It encountered opposition from farmers,
farming lobby groups and opposition politicians.

Entertainment

Main article: Flatulist

Historical comment on the ability to fart at will is observed as early as Saint
Augustine's City of God (5th century AD). Augustine mentions "people who produce
at will without any stench such rhythmical sounds from their fundament that they
[64]
appear to be making music even from that quarter." Intentional passing of gas and
its use as entertainment for others appear to have been somewhat well known in
pre-modern Europe, according to mentions of it in medieval and later literature,
[citation needed]
including Rabelais.

Le Pétomane ("the Fartomaniac") was a famous French performer in the 19th

century who, as well as many professional farters before him, did flatulence
impressions and held shows. The performer Mr. Methane carries on le Pétomane's
tradition today. Also, a 2002 fiction film Thunderpants revolves around a boy named
[65]
Patrick Smash who has an ongoing flatulence problem from the time of his birth.

Since the 1970s, farting has increasingly been featured in film, especially comedies
[66]
such as Blazing Saddles and Scooby-Doo.

In the popular adult animated series South Park characters sometimes watch a
show-within-a-show called "The Terrance and Phillip Show" whose humor primarily
revolves around flatulence.

Personal experiences
People find other peoples' flatus unpleasant, but are unfazed by, and may even
[67]
enjoy, the scent of their own. While there has been little research carried out upon
the subject, some speculative guesses have been made as to why this might be so.
For example, one explanation for this phenomenon is that people are very familiar
with the scent of their own flatus, and that survival in nature may depend on the
[68]
detection of and reaction to foreign scents.

[69]
Some people have eproctophilia, the fetish of flatulence, finding sexual
gratification and pleasure from either the sound of the gas, smells from the gas,
[70][71][72]
feeling of the gas, some combination of the three, or all three.

See also

Biology portal
 ● Antiflatulent
● Armpit fart
● Borborygmus
● Eproctophilia
● Fart lighting
● Flatulence humor
● The Gas We Pass
● Terrance and Phillip
● Tympany
● Fart (word)

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