Scientist Weighs In on a Stinky Gender Debate figuring out whether men or women produce more offensive gas

A Minnesota gastroenterologist once took on an unusual scientific question: which produces worse flatulence, men or women? After years of investigation, the answer turned out to be surprisingly balanced.

In a column for the Washington Post, physician and author Trisha Pasricha revisits the research of Dr. Michael Levitt, a scientist at a Veterans Affairs hospital who became widely known among colleagues for his extensive work studying intestinal gas. Levitt used laboratory tools such as gas chromatography, rectal collection tubes, and panels of volunteers who rated the odor of samples—known in the study as “flatus odor judges”—to measure something most people only discuss informally.

In one carefully controlled study, Levitt recruited 16 volunteers and asked them to eat foods known to promote gas production. The participants’ emissions were collected and later evaluated using an eight-point odor scale.

The results showed a split difference. Women’s gas tended to be stronger in odor, while men generally released larger volumes at a time—about half a cup per episode. Because one group produced stronger smell and the other produced greater quantity, Levitt concluded that neither men nor women could claim superiority in the contest. In practical terms, the outcome was essentially even.

Pasricha suggests that people’s perceptions about gender differences may also be influenced by behavior rather than chemistry. Women are often more likely to release gas slowly and quietly, which can change how it is experienced socially compared with a more abrupt release.

The broader lesson from the research is that odor strength and volume tend to balance each other out, leaving no clear winner. As Pasricha summarized it, the scientific verdict was simply a tie.

The story appears in an excerpt from Pasricha’s upcoming book You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong. Alongside the humor of the topic, the book also offers practical information, including suggestions such as using Pepto-Bismol to help neutralize odor-producing compounds in intestinal gas.

Pasricha also notes that some environments eliminate any perceived differences altogether. At high altitudes—such as inside airplane cabins—lower air pressure causes intestinal gas to expand. The result is that everyone becomes equally prone to flatulence, regardless of gender, due to basic physical laws.

In the end, the research may finally settle a lighthearted debate that has long been argued in households. As Pasricha writes, it may be one of the few scientific findings from members of the American Gastroenterological Association that has definitively resolved a domestic dispute.

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