Australians launch “Chart Your Fart,” the research project nobody knew civilization needed

Science has conquered disease, split the atom and put human beings on the moon. Now, after centuries of uncertainty, researchers have turned their attention to one of mankind’s oldest unanswered questions:

How often does the average person fart?

The answer, according to a new Australian study, is approximately five times per day—although a relatively small contingent of gastrointestinal overachievers appears to be doing much of the heavy lifting.

Naturally, scientists first had to solve a delicate logistical problem: How do you accurately count farts without following people around all day carrying a clipboard?

Researchers at the University of Maryland previously developed something called Smart Underwear, a small sensor that attaches to a person’s underwear and automatically detects escaping gas.

Smart Underwear sounds either like a remarkable scientific instrument or the worst Christmas present ever created.

Scientists could also measure intestinal gas using equipment inserted into the rectum. Unfortunately, that method might alter a participant’s natural behavior. People frequently suppress gas until they reach a more socially acceptable location, such as an empty elevator, crowded checkout line or spouse’s side of the bed.

Australian researchers therefore developed a simpler system called “Chart Your Fart.”

Participants received a smartphone app and were instructed to record each emission as soon as possible after launch. The app was intentionally designed to be discreet, allowing users to document their activity without announcing to everyone nearby that they had just entered new data.

People aged 14 and older participated. Researchers excluded those who had recently made major dietary changes, because introducing several pounds of beans and Brussels sprouts midway through the study could transform an ordinary participant into an industrial testing facility.

The gassiest generation is revealed

Participants reported an average of five farts per day. The median was slightly lower—3.8—which means several unusually productive people were inflating the overall average.

In other words, most of humanity is apparently behaving reasonably, while a small number of dedicated specialists are carrying the team.

Approximately 79.3% of participants recorded between two and seven farts daily.

Men narrowly defeated women, averaging 5.2 per day, compared with 4.8 for women. It wasn’t exactly a blowout, but a win is a win.

Young people between 14 and 25 recorded the fewest, averaging 4.4 daily. Adults aged 26 to 45 claimed the championship with slightly more than five per day. Those aged 46 to 65 finished close behind at exactly five.

Researchers did not collect enough information from people over 65 to draw conclusions—possibly because older adults have better things to do than report every fart to an Australian smartphone application.

Prime time arrives after dinner

The study also examined when people are most likely to pass gas.

Activity gradually increased throughout the day before reaching its peak during the evening. Smaller surges occurred between 6 and 8 a.m., between 2 and 4 p.m., and during the main broadcasting window of 8 to 10 p.m.

That schedule generally corresponds with meals. People eat carbohydrates and fiber, intestinal bacteria begin processing the material, and roughly an hour later the orchestra tunes up.

Researchers emphasized that the study’s average of five daily farts is considerably lower than previous estimates of 14 to 23.

Smart Underwear recorded anywhere from four to an astonishing 59 daily events. However, the Australian study required participants to be awake and consciously record each occurrence, meaning it missed nighttime activity.

Therefore, anyone claiming only five per day may have an active and completely undocumented overnight division.

Farting is normal—but excessive gas can carry a message

Despite the comedy, flatulence is a necessary result of normal digestion. Gas is produced when swallowed air and intestinal bacteria meet the food traveling through the digestive system.

An unusual increase can sometimes indicate lactose intolerance, difficulty processing certain foods, bacterial overgrowth or a digestive disorder. Diabetes and hypothyroidism may also affect intestinal activity.

Smoking, chewing gum and drinking carbonated beverages introduce additional air into the digestive tract. Beans, lentils, broccoli and Brussels sprouts provide intestinal bacteria with enough fermentable material to stage their own Pierogi Fest.

Researchers say establishing a reliable picture of “normal” flatulence could help doctors recognize when a patient’s symptoms deserve further investigation.

For now, science’s best estimate is five farts per day—usually after meals and most commonly during the evening.

But because nighttime emissions remain largely uncounted, the complete truth may remain buried beneath the blankets.

---

About Post Author