If you’re feeling gassy, it’s far better out than in, a top medic has warned.
That’s because if you don’t let one rip, the volume of gas can stretch the delicate tissues in the rectum, leading to serious digestive diseases.
What’s more, according to NHS surgeon Dr Karan Rajan, there could also be rather revolting consequences.
Speaking on a recent podcast, Dr Rajan explained that failing to let the gas escape from your bottom could cause it to end up in your mouth.
In other words, the foul-smelling toxins could end up leaking into your breath.
‘A fart is gas, it’s a chemical, it’s a bunch of chemicals,’ Mr Rajan told listeners of the Modern Wisdom podcast.
‘And when you hold in a fart there’s a percentage of that fart vapour which will defuse through the walls of the colon, through the walls of the intestine and eventually it will go to your bloodstream.
‘All the blood circulates and eventually it goes to the lungs where the waste products are then exhaled out.’
‘You will literally breathe out fart fumes if you hold it in,’ he added.
The video was also shared by gut health and nutrition Instagram page @gutelevate, which explained the primary gases in your gut are nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane, and hydrogen.
All these gases are are absorbed into the bloodstream through the walls of the intestines.
Once in the bloodstream, these gases circulate to the lungs, where they are eventually exhaled when you breathe out.
This process is known as pulmonary reabsorption and it can cause a slight odor on your breath.
Holding on too long can also cause bloating and nausea, plus the gas can eventually escape through an uncontrollable fart.
It can also damage your gut.
Professor Clare Collins from the University of Newcastle has found that the rise in pressure in your rectum could increase your chance of developing a painful condition called diverticulitis.
The nutrition and dietetics professor wrote in The Conversation that the condition causes small pouches to develop in the gut lining which become inflamed.
Symptoms include pain that gets worse after you empty your bowels, constipation, bloating and blood in your stool.
While flatulence is a normal biological function, excessive or particularly foul-smelling eruptions can be a sign of something more serious such as inflammatory bowel disease or even colon cancer.
Smelly wind can also be a side effect of some medicines, such as laxatives, statins, antifungal medications and even anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen.
The NHS advises people to seek medical advice from their GP if they notice a persistent change in their flatulence that concerns them.
But if you want to avoid smelly gas the NHS suggests eating smaller meals, drinking and chewing food slowly, exercising regularly and drinking peppermint tea.
