Why Do I Fart This Much? 7 Reasons and 5 Solutions

Swallowing Air

Swallowing air is the first answer. Swallowing air happens all the time and is perfectly normal. And up to 50% of excessive gas is caused by swallowing too much air. Air can be swallowed in many ways, for example by chewing gum, smoking, sucking on pen tops or hard sweets, having loose fitting dentures, or not chewing food slowly and thoroughly. Excessive farting can also be caused by drinking hot and fizzy drinks including sodas. These drinks can cause excessive carbon dioxide in the stomach, which may lead to excessive belching and flatulence.

Certain Food and Drink

Many foods are made up of carbohydrates which can't be digested and absorbed by the intestines. Some of these undigested carbs, also called unabsorbable carbohydrates, are then passed down into the colon. The colon contains over 500 types of bacteria which break down carbs and produce gas which is released as fart. This makes certain foods one of the top culprits of excessive gas. These foods include beans, cabbage, onions, prunes, apples and Brussel sprouts. Another cause of excessive flatulence could lie in a sweetener known as sorbitol that is commonly found in sugar-free gum and fructose, a natural sugar generally found in fruit juice. In general, high-fiber, starchy foods with natural sugars are most likely to cause gas due to the difficulty the body has in breaking them down.

Underlying Health Conditions

In many cases, underlying health conditions are also answers to " why do I fart so much?" These health conditions include:

• Constipation;

• Irritable bowel syndrome is a common digestive disease that leads to stomach cramp, bloating and diarrhea and so on;

• Celiac disease causes intolerance to gluten which is found in wheat, rye and barley;

• Lactose intolerance is a condition where the body is unable to break down lactose and absorb it into the blood;

• Gastroenteritis is a stomach or bowel infection;

• Malabsorption makes the intestines unable to absorb nutrients properly.

Anxiety

Both anxiety and tension seem to make flatulence worse. Partially, this is because anxiety makes a person overly alert which causes us to notice certain body functions that usually we wouldn't pay attention to. When you are anxious, you are also swallowing more air, and your guts become more active due to increased adrenaline levels. All of these can cause excessive and forceful flatulence.

Childbirth

Following childbirth, the muscles around the anus and the nerves nearby may have been damaged. This can cause problems with holding in flatulence. A study in Sweden determined that up to 25% of women had problems holding in their flatulence up to 5 months after giving birth. This number was especially high after a long labor.

Aging

Aging often makes gas worse. This happens because as we get older, our body does not produce the large amounts of saliva and other digestive juices as easily. This causes more carbohydrates to be passed untouched into the lower bowel where they will be fermented by bacteria.

Smoking

Smoking can cause you to take more air into your body than normal. The gas then can get trapped in your esophagus or stomach. If there is too much gas built up in your intestines, however there is only one logical path that the gas can take.

• Avoid sugar: Sugar is broken down in your gut by bacteria that means there is more gas release when sugar is digested. By reducing the amount of sugar you eat, which includes fructose, lactose and sorbitol, you will be able to reduce the gas that your body produces.

• Reduce carbonation: Sodas will cause air to fill your intestines more than they should. Beer will also cause excessive flatulence, as it is full of high glycemic carbohydrates which can strongly affect your digestive system

• Cut back on starches: When starch is digested, it can also cause intestinal gases to be released. Rice is the best thing to eat when you have gas problems for it is easy to digest. Wheat, however, is not a good choice because it is the hardest on your intestines.

• Use probiotics: Probiotics are dietary supplements that contain live healthy bacteria and yeast and are used to restore the natural balance of gut bacteria. Probiotics not only help restore the natural balance but also eliminate gas, bloating and indigestion.

• Quit smoking & chewing gum: Chewing gum and smoking can cause you to swallow too much air and cause excessive farts.