No matter how embarrassing it is to talk or admit but we all have at least once felt like farting in a public place. And most often we tend to hold it in for more than one reason. Whether you are on a date or with family members, you want to create a good impression and not fart and have all the eyes on you. But is it healthy to hold in a fart? What does it do to our body? In a one-word reply, yes it bad to hold in the gas and if you need to, you should let the fart out. Let’s discuss below what exactly happens when you hold in your fart and other consequences. Queefing or Vaginal Flatulence: Is Farting Through The Vagina Common In Women?

Farts also known as flatus or gas is a complete normal phenomenon and is experienced by everyone. Gas is formed when the process of digestion takes place and the bacteria releases hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane. These gases need a way to exit your body. Gas also occurs due to excess air we swallow while chewing gum, consuming carbonated beverages and smoking. Some foods are also likely to cause gas including dairy products. What happens when you hold in the fart? Gill Hart, the scientific director of YorkTest Laboratories told Metro.co.uk: “If you get an excessive build-up of intestinal gas it can lead to bloating, which can be really uncomfortable and often embarrassing too if your stomach is make strange gurgling noises.” Now You Can Buy Cushions That Stop Farts From Smelling For Rs 2,700.

Holding in the fart will find an alternative way to leave the body and that is via the mouth, unfortunately. Clare Collins, a professor in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Newcastle, Australia published an article in The Conversation, in which she said, “Trying to hold it in leads to a build-up of pressure and major discomfort. A build-up of intestinal gas can trigger abdominal distention, with some gas reabsorbed into the circulation and exhaled in your breath.”

Sometimes it can also be released as an uncontrollable fart. The moment you curb the gas, it can come blasting out with all the noise and smell you’ve trying so hard to limit. There are no severe side effects of holding the fart in other than stomach cramps. Reducing consumption of fizzy drinks and food items like cabbage, garlic, beans and lentils which causes bloating can help in reduction of times you fart and the smell. But if you really need to let it go, just fart it out. Nothing to be embarrassed about it since it is a natural and inevitable response of our body.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 26, 2018 03:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).