8 things you don't want to, but need to know about flatulence.

Image: Sex and the City/HBO.

Everyone does it. And now it is time we talked about it. Farting.

From why they smell sometimes and don’t at other times, to how many times a day it’s normal to pass wind, we get to the, erm, bottom of flatulence.

1. Fart karma is very real.

Dr Ruth Hand, a Melbourne based General Practitioner, explains that while holding in farts may not be bad for our health, there is one very real consequence of holding in your gas, and it’s called “fart karma“.

According to Dr Hand, farting is pretty straightforward, really, if you hold wind in, it “will come out eventually, it has no where else to go. It just might be more socially acceptable to relieve yourself in certain situations, that’s all”.

If you are in a very awkward social situation and can’t relieve yourself, then feel free to hold it in, but you should know that it will come out eventually. Maybe in an even more socially awkward situation. So beware.  

2. It is normal to fart between a handful (ew), up to 4o times a day.

According to the Victorian Government health guidelines, the amount individuals pass gas depends on a number of factors, including diet. Some people pass wind only a handful of times per day, others up to 40 times. The average seems to be about 15.

But what creates excessive amounts of gas? There are a few things that can contribute, including high fibre foods, laxatives and dairy products.

You should see your doctor if you experience unusual flatulence, abdominal pain, changes to toilet habits, or any other uncomfortable symptom associated with digestion.

5. Farting is a fetish.

Some people are sexually aroused by flatulence. There is even a name for it. Eproctophilia. One to add to the vocabulary, no? Shelly Horton answers another question we have always wondered…why do we fanny fart? Find out in the video below…

4. Why some of your farts smell and others don’t.

One study published in the Journal of Chromatography B, by researchers from various universities in the Netherlands, found that the majority of the gas we produce is odourless. This is because they’re made up of hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane, which are all odourless gasses.

But the smelly ones? They contain sulfur. Which produces a bad, bad odour. You know the one.

5. Beans, beans, the magical fruit don’t actually make you fart more…

Contrary to popular opinion, eating beans won’t actually make you fart more. In a study published in Nutrition Journal, researchers from Arizona State University found that while a sudden increase in bean consumption can result in more flatulence for some people, it normalises over time. (Post continues after gallery.)

6.  Your farts can produce a significant amount of gas.

Yes really. According to one study, by the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, and published in the Journal Gut your farts produce up to 500 to 1,500 milliliters of gas per day.

That is the equivalent of gas found in one litre of soft drink a day.

Delightful.

7. There are clothes designed to hide your farts.

One company, Shreddies, make underwear, jeans and PJs designed specifically to absorb the smell of farts through the layer of activated carbon cloth in the material of the clothing.

8. If you didn't smell it, you probably dealt it.

According to ASAPScience, we become accustomed to the smell of our own gas, and in doing so, find our own farts far less insulting than other people's. We become used to scents over time and just as we don't smell the scent of our own home, we often don't smell our own farts.

There you have it.

OK: Confession time. What is the most inappropriate situation you have farted in (you can post anonymously!)?