WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Why Do We Fart?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Lauren bog Obam, and I've got another classic episode

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<v Speaker 1>for you today. In it, our former host Christian Sagar

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<v Speaker 1>answers a basic yet nonetheless burning question, why do we fart? Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff? It's Christian Sager. So in the late eighteen hundreds,

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<v Speaker 1>there was this French guy and his name was Le

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<v Speaker 1>Peto Man, and he was one of the stars of

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<v Speaker 1>Mulan Rouge. People would come from far and wide just

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<v Speaker 1>to watch this guy fart, Yeah, to watch him fart. Lepetumn,

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<v Speaker 1>you see, was a professional flat glist, which, as it

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<v Speaker 1>turns out, is still sort of a thing, and certainly

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<v Speaker 1>it's a dream job for some. But if you want

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<v Speaker 1>to move out of the ranks of amateur windbreakers and

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<v Speaker 1>into those stinking, hallowed halls of the professionally flatulent, you

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<v Speaker 1>will need to know a thing or two about farts,

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<v Speaker 1>like what are they, why do they happen? And why

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<v Speaker 1>do they smell so bad? Well, first things first, everyone farts,

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<v Speaker 1>every single person. Yes you two listening to this, you

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<v Speaker 1>do too. To not fart would be medically fascinating and

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<v Speaker 1>probably dangerous. On average, most people are passing about one

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<v Speaker 1>leader of gas a day, spread out over thirteen to

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<v Speaker 1>wait for it, twenty one incidents. That's twenty one separate

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<v Speaker 1>times in one day. The composition of a fart varies widely,

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<v Speaker 1>but usually what we're smelling is something that's mostly nitrogen,

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<v Speaker 1>along with oxygen, carbon dioxide, and even methane. This gas

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<v Speaker 1>itself comes from several sources, the air, you swallow, gas

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<v Speaker 1>that enters your intestines, from your bloodstream, and so on.

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<v Speaker 1>But about seventy five of your farts are created in

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<v Speaker 1>your lower intestine, and unfortunately not by you. See the

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<v Speaker 1>bacteria living inside you right now. They comprise a microbiome

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<v Speaker 1>all all of their own. And when we say it's intricate,

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<v Speaker 1>we mean it's so intricate that David Attenborough could make

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<v Speaker 1>a documentary about it. These bacteria form this thriving empire

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<v Speaker 1>with billions of tiny, separate organisms living inside their host,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's you. They're living with you in symbiosis. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>flatulence occurs when food passes through your stomach and small

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<v Speaker 1>intestine without fully breaking down. So what does this mean.

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<v Speaker 1>This means that the food hits the large intestine in

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<v Speaker 1>an undigested state. So For example, let's look at lactose,

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<v Speaker 1>which is present in dairy products like milk and cheese.

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<v Speaker 1>If you're lactose intolerant, then you lack the enzyme that

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<v Speaker 1>breaks lactose into sugar molecules for the bloodstream. Without this,

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<v Speaker 1>lactose just breezes through your stomach and small intestine into

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<v Speaker 1>your large intestine, where it becomes the special of the

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<v Speaker 1>day for billions of hungary bacteria. Those guys love lactose,

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<v Speaker 1>and if you're not going to dudge just it, they will.

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<v Speaker 1>As they digest this lactose, they emit a number of gases,

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<v Speaker 1>including methane, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide, which is

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<v Speaker 1>responsible for the unpleasant aroma. This process is similar to

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<v Speaker 1>how yeast produces carbon dioxide to leaven bread. And speaking

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<v Speaker 1>of food, it's true that some foods do produce more flatulence,

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<v Speaker 1>primarily because they contain more indigestible carbohydrates. I'm looking at you. Beans,

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<v Speaker 1>nutrient dense vegetables, and fiber rich foods all have a

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<v Speaker 1>reputation for enabling flatulence. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

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<v Speaker 1>See as scientists learn more about the relationship between diet,

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<v Speaker 1>health and a person's microbiome. They're discovering that these flatulent

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<v Speaker 1>foods may encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria in your gut.

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<v Speaker 1>When they're producing that next embarrassing puff of gas, they're

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<v Speaker 1>also making molecules to protect your intestinal lining and prevent infections.

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<v Speaker 1>So remember, the next time your silent crime accidentally ends

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<v Speaker 1>up sounding like a stuttering trumpet, your intestinal bacteria are

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<v Speaker 1>the real culprits. They are the ones actually farting. And look,

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<v Speaker 1>I want to emphasize this, they are farting inside of you,

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<v Speaker 1>and then you fart their farts out. Are we clear

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<v Speaker 1>on that part? Which leads us to the bigger question

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<v Speaker 1>of the day, who are we farting inside of? Today's

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<v Speaker 1>episode was written by Ben Bollen and produced by Tyler Clang.

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<v Speaker 1>To hear more weird and funny true stories from men,

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<v Speaker 1>check out his show Ridiculous History, available wherever you get

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<v Speaker 1>your podcasts, And of course, for more on this and

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<v Speaker 1>lots of other easily digestible topics, visit our home planet,

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<v Speaker 1>how Stuff Works dot com.