Passing gas is a natural bodily function, whether you like it or not.
The average person passes gas approximately 14 times a day. Sometimes you won't even notice that you're letting it rip!
There are many reasons why people get gassy, whether it be because of their diet or anxiety, but at the end of the day, you must release the air in your digestive system before it builds up.
If you hold it in long enough, your body will eventually defy your mind and let the gas go. The thing is, that's not always the case.
According to experts, some gas can escape your mouth. Exactly how this happens will make you think twice about holding it in...
Clare Collins, a professor in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Newcastle in the UK, encourages everyone to pass gas when they need to.
Flatulence can be quite embarrassing when in social situations, but that build up of pressure and major discomfort you feel is a sign that you need to find a way to let it out as soon as possible.
Gastroenterologist Dr. Satish S.C. Rao also agrees that you should let it out, before it turns into a "fart-burp."
"If you've eaten a carbohydrate-rich meal, this will be fermented in the small intestine [the section immediately connected to the stomach, which leads to the large intestine]," Rao told The Dollar Shave Club. "You'll belch this gas out."
"When you do this, this fermented gas is going to smell like fermented gas," he added.
Research has also shown that a build up of gas can be absorbed into the circulation and later exhaled.
Once it's in the bloodstream, it will eventually escape out of your mouth.
So, what's the solution?
The only solution is to break wind when you need to. Once you hold it in for too long, there's really no way you can avoid a portion of the gas from being exhaled.
A trick to releasing gas in public is to clench your butt muscles while standing or sitting to weaken or silence the fart. Then, release the gas in intervals.
Now, it's up to you to decide which part of your body you want to pass gas from before your body decides for you.
[H/T: The Conversation]
