You may not pay too much attention to your farts, after all, the average person lets one rip at least 20 times a day. But if you listen to or smell your farts closely, you may learn a thing or two about your gut health and how your lifestyle choices are impacting it. Here are three things that could signal poor gut health, according to a doctor who spoke to The Sun.
Discover our latest podcast
Stinky farts and loss of appetite
You might be thinking what is the relationship between how your fart smells and your appetite. Well, according to health experts, if you are passing out foul smelling farts while not having the appetite for food, and are losing weight, you might want to get tested for Crohn's’s disease. Dr Sarah Garsed tells The Sun:
Smelly farts accompanied by sudden appetite and weight loss could be a reason to be checked out by your GP. You might also find you have blood in your poo, painful cramps and excess wind. See your GP immediately if you have these symptoms.
Frequent sleep farts
It is normal to break wind when you are asleep because the body relaxes, and it’s generally easier to fart when unconscious. But farting too often in your sleep can be an indication of poor health. Dr Garsed explains that although this could be due to eating too close to bedtime,
it can also be a sign of digestive disorders or food intolerances. Farting in your sleep is not dangerous to your health, but doing it a lot usually means an excess build up of gas and this needs checking out.
Painful farts
Yes, you read that right, farting can be painful when the wind is trapped. If you suddenly experience this, and it lasts for a prolonged period, it could point to a digestive issues and irritable bowel syndrome, the news outlet reports.