flatulence

Also known as gas, flatus, passing gas, farting, fart, breaking wind

Flatulence is the expulsion of gas from the intestines via the anus, commonly referred to as farting. "Flatus" is the medical word for gas generated in the stomach or bowels. A proportion of intestinal gas may be swallowed environmental air; hence, flatus is not entirely generated in the stomach or bowels. The scientific study of this area of medicine is termed flatology.

AI overview

Flatulence is the release of gas from your intestines through your anus, a process that involves both gases your body produces and air you swallow. While it's a normal bodily function studied in the medical field known as flatology, understanding flatulence matters because it can affect digestive comfort and overall well-being.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Medical condition (new).name: Flatulence
Medical condition (new).synonyms: Farting, breaking wind, passing gas, cutting the cheese, cutting one loose, ripping one, tooting
Medical condition (new).field: Gastroenterology

via Wikipedia infobox

Research

3,593 papers

Flatulence.ReviewAnnual review of medicine · 1980Levitt MD, Bond JHDOI: 10.1146/annurev.me.31.020180.001015
[Flatulence].ReviewRevista de gastroenterologia del Peru : organo oficial de la Sociedad de Gastroenterologia del Peru · 2002León Barúa R
Flatulence--causes, relation to diet and remedies.ReviewDie Nahrung · 1988Price KR, Lewis J, Wyatt GM et al.DOI: 10.1002/food.19880320626
Belching, bloating, and flatulence: pitfalls and challenges in evaluating and managing symptoms of intestinal gas and how to avoid them.ReviewExpert review of gastroenterology & hepatology · 2025Niriella MA, Jayasundara HD, Samarawickrama VT et al.DOI: 10.1080/17474124.2025.2514239
Specific foods and flatulence.ReviewNutrition reviews · 1967DOI: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.1967.tb05519.x
Flatulence.The Clinical journal · 1947EVANS G
Flatulence.The Indian physician · 1948EVANS G
Mechanisms of flatulence and diarrhoea.ReviewThe British journal of surgery · 1985Read NWDOI: 10.1002/bjs.1800721305

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Image: Air-160492.svg

Show 7 more facts

Commons category: Flatulence
hashtag: fart
Unicode character: 💨
exact match: purl.obolibrary.org/obo/SYMP_0000509
ICPC 2 ID: D08
NCI Thesaurus ID: C37954
P8168: Pyrrhus

Sources (5)

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~20 min read

Article

24 sections

Contents

Terminology
Signs and symptoms
Bloating and pain
Excessive volume
Odor
Incontinence of flatus
Cause
Mechanism
Production, composition, and odor
Volume and intestinal gas dynamics
Management
Pain and bloating
Volume
Odor
Incontinence
Society and culture
Environmental impact
Entertainment
Personal experiences
See also
References
Citations
General and cited references
External links

Passing gas is a normal bodily process. Flatus is brought to the rectum and pressurized by muscles in the intestines. It is normal to pass flatus ("to fart"), though volume and frequency vary greatly among individuals. It is also normal for intestinal gas to have a feculent or unpleasant odor, which may be intense. The noise commonly associated with flatulence is produced by the anus and buttocks, which act together in a manner similar to that of an embouchure. Both the sound and odor are sources of embarrassment, annoyance or amusement (flatulence humor). Many societies have a taboo about flatus. Thus, many people either let their flatus out quietly or even hold it completely. However, holding flatus inside the bowels for long periods is not healthy.