01/09/2023, 20:12 Farting | NHS inform

Farting
Farting (flatulence) is passing gas from the digestive system
out of the back passage. It's 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
(/illnesses-and-conditions/stomach-liver-and-gastrointestinal-
tract/indigestion/) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (/illnesses-
and-conditions/stomach-liver-and-gastrointestinal-tract/irritable-bowel-
syndrome-ibs/)
some medicines like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDs) (/tests-and-treatments/medicines-and-medical-aids/types-of-
medicine/nsaids/) , statins (/tests-and-treatments/medicines-and-
medical-aids/types-of-medicine/statins/) and some laxatives (/tests-
and-treatments/medicines-and-medical-aids/types-of-medicine/laxatives/)

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Do not stop or change your medication without speaking

to your GP first. It's important that you don't self-diagnose.
Speak to a GP if:
farting is affecting your life and self help and pharmacy
treatments haven't worked
you have a stomach ache or bloating that'll not go away or
comes back
you keep getting constipation or diarrhoea
you have lost weight without trying
you've 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
you're 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

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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

Don't
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

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Last updated:
29 May 2023

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