Farting

Farting | NHS inform Home Illnesses and conditions Symptoms and self-help Tests and treatments Healthy living Care, support and rights Scotlands Service Directory 0 Home Illnesses and conditions Stomach, liver and gastrointestinal tract Farting Farting Farting (flatulence) is passing gas from the digestive system out of the back passage. Its a normal process and something everyone experiences regularly. There are things you can do if you fart a lot or your farts are smelly. Causes of farting When you swallow food, water or saliva, you also swallow small amounts of air. This collects in the digestive system. The body needs to get rid of the build-up by farting or burping. Gases can also build up when you digest food. Causes of excessive farting Excessive farting can be caused by: swallowing more air than usual eating foods that are difficult to digest conditions affecting the digestive system like indigestion or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) some medicines like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) , statins and some laxatives Do not stop or change your medication without speaking to your GP first. Its important that you dont self-diagnose. Speak to a GP if: farting is affecting your life and self help and pharmacy treatments havent worked you have a stomach ache or bloating thatll not go away or comes back you keep getting constipation or diarrhoea you have lost weight without trying youve had blood in your poo for 3 weeks you have signs of an infection like a high temperature, vomiting, chills, joint pain and muscle pain youre unable to control your bowel movements (involuntary pooing) Get advice from a pharmacist A pharmacist can give you advice about excessive or smelly farts. They may be able to recommend something to help like: charcoal tablets special underwear or pads that absorb smells A pharmacist may also be able to tell you if you need to speak to your GP. Find your nearest pharmacy How reduce excessive or smelly farting Do chew food slowly with your mouth closed eat smaller meals, more often drink slowly exercise regularly to improve digestion eat foods that are easy to digest like rice, bananas, citrus fruits and potatoes drink peppermint tea Dont do not chew gum, smoke or suck on pen tops or hard sweets to avoid swallowing excess air do not wear loose-fitting dentures do not drink lots of fizzy drinks and hot drinks do not drink too much beer, wine or fruit juice do not eat lots of foods that are difficult to digest and cause farting like beans, cabbage and lentils do not eat lots of foods containing sorbitol (a sweetener) and fructose (a sugar) as these can cause farting Source: NHS 24 - Opens in new browser window Last updated: 29 May 2023 How can we improve this page? Help us improve NHS inform Thank You Your feedback has been received Dont include personal information e.g. name, location or any personal health conditions. Email Address e.g. you@example.com Message Maximum of 500 characters Send feedback Add this page to\n            Info For Me NHS inform About NHS inform Editorial policy Contact us Webchat Give feedback about NHS inform Info for Me tool Terms and conditions Privacy and cookies policy Freedom of information (FOI) Accessibility Other languages and formats  2023 NHS 24  v1.1.1.17852