Excessive farting, also known as flatulence, is a normal process and something everyone experiences regularly. However, excessive farting can be caused by several factors, including:
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Swallowing air: When you swallow food, water, or saliva, you also swallow small amounts of air. This collects in the digestive system and needs to be released by farting or burping. If you frequently swallow more air, you may find that you experience excessive flatulence. Reasons that you may swallow more air than normal include chewing gum, smoking, wearing loose dentures, sucking on objects like pen tops, drinking carbonated beverages, or eating or drinking too quickly.
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Dietary choices: The foods you eat could lead to excessive flatulence. Carbohydrates, for example, are known to cause gas. Some foods that may cause excessive flatulence include beans, lentils, broccoli, cabbage, onions, and carbonated beverages like soda and beer. Not all foods will cause gas in all people, so keeping track of the foods you eat and flatulence symptoms you experience can help narrow down which ones cause gas in your body.
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Digestive disorders: Some digestive disorders that cause excessive farting include celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, lactose intolerance, peptic ulcer, and ulcerative colitis. These digestive disorders interfere with normal digestion, placing stress on your digestive system, and often result in excessive farting.
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Stress: Some people experience symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, including excessive farting, when stressed. Certain habits sometimes associated with stress, like smoking, chewing gum, eating sweets, or drinking alcohol, may also cause excessive farting.
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Constipation: The more time food waste spends in your colon, the more time it has to ferment. This often leads to very frequent and stinky farts.
If you experience excessive farting, there are things you can do to control it. These include eating smaller meals more often, drinking or chewing food slowly with your mouth closed, exercising regularly to improve how your body digests food, and drinking peppermint tea. If you are concerned about your excessive farting, you should speak to a pharmacist or see a GP.
