Why do farts smell so bad? A microbiologist explains the odors brewing in your gut
Your farts’ aromas are tuned to your diet – and your overall health.
Farts smell bad due to the presence of sulfur-containing molecules produced by gut bacteria during digestion. Healthy humans pass gas around 14-20 times daily, filling a party balloon in total. These gases come from trillions of microbes in the gut that aid in breaking down undigested food. Fermentation of food by these bacteria creates various gases, including odorless ones like nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and methane.
However, sulfur-rich gases, such as hydrogen sulfide, methanethiol, and dimethyl sulfide, are responsible for the unpleasant odor. These gases come from sulfur-containing amino acids like methionine and cysteine, found in meat, dairy, eggs, beans, and grains. Foods like cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and vegetables high in sulfur can increase the smell of farts.
Though loud farts aren't always stinky, sulfur-containing gases are key to the malodorous farts. Persistent foul-smelling gas might indicate an underlying health condition.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
