The topic of farts is rarely discussed in adult conversations. This is because passing gas or farting can be embarrassing to the person farting, especially when occurring in a public setting. One wonders: Is farting (flatulence) normal? How many farts per day is normal?
Research shows that releasing intestinal gas through the rectum (farting) is part of normal and healthy digestion. On the other hand, "excessive farting" could be a sign of some sort of intestinal problem. Two recent studies examined "normal farting" and came up with different results. An Australian study found that overall people reported 5 farts per day using a "Chart your fart" app, but a Maryland study had participants wear special "smart" underwear that measured any passing of gas and came up with 32 farts per day!
From Medscape: Flatus Status: How Many Farts a Day Is Normal?
Researchers Emily Brindal and Danielle Baird developed the “Chart Your Fart” app as a citizen-science initiative.
The app allows people to log their emissions in real time, and to (optionally) rate them in terms of stench, loudness, duration, and — critically — detectability. Which is obviously necessary to determine whether he who smelt it actually dealt it.
A national campaign led to more than 19,000 individuals consenting to participate in the study, of whom 6416 were eligible for the final tally. They were broadly representative of the Australian population.
Those individuals, collectively, logged 360,192 “outputs” over a mean of 10 days, although at least one intrepid individual logged 97 days’ worth of data. On average, that was 5 flatuses (flati?) per day per person. But as you might expect there was significant variation.
From Science Daily: How often do people really fart? Scientists built smart underwear to find out
Researchers have created “Smart Underwear,” a wearable device that measures flatulence by detecting hydrogen produced by gut microbes. Early tests suggest people may pass gas about 32 times a day—much higher than previous estimates. The device gives scientists a new way to track gut microbial activity in everyday life. It will power a new nationwide study called the Human Flatus Atlas to map normal patterns of gas production.
However, results varied widely among individuals, with totals ranging from just four flatus events per day to as many as 59.
To capture the full spectrum of variation, researchers are recruiting volunteers who fit several categories identified during early research.
People interested in participating can learn more at flatus.info. Enrollment is open to adults ages 18 years or older in the U.S. Participants will receive a Smart Underwear device and will wear it both day and night during the study period. Enrollment is limited.