Passing
Gas
Farting &
Burping
Clockwise from upper right: book
on the history of the fart; eating
beans produces "fart power;"
fart machine; "burping"
beer mug; champion
burper; "burping
Barney" from The Simpsons TV show.
Flatus (farting) is a Latin word
meaning a puff or blowing of a gas such as air.
Flatulence is a French noun derived from flatus, which as
a medical term means 'accumulation of gas in a natural cavity'.
More generally, flatulent means 'of a windy nature' or 'full
of air and wind'. By extension, foods such as beans may
be called 'flatulent', as they generate gas in the digestive
tract which then becomes flatulent as it is liable to produce
flatus - puffs, blows and breathing, via the œsophagus
(gullet) and mouth or via the anus.
The average human releases 0.5 to 1.5 litres (1 to 3 U.S.
pints) (measured at NTP) of flatus a day by farting 12 to
25 times]. The primary constituents of flatulence are the
non-odorous gases nitrogen (ingested), carbon dioxide (produced
by aerobic microbes or ingested), and hydrogen (produced
by some microbes and consumed by others), as well as lesser
amounts of oxygen (ingested) and methane (produced by anaerobic
microbes). Odors result from trace amounts of other components
(often containing sulphur).
Learn
more about flatulence here.
Burping is typically caused by
eating or drinking too fast, and thereby swallowing
(aerophagia) and subsequently expelling air, in which case
the expelled gas is a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen. Burps
can also be caused by imbibing carbonated drinks such as
beer, soft drinks, or champagne, in which case the expelled
gas is carbon dioxide from the drink itself. Gastroesophageal
reflux disease can also cause involuntary burping. Some
studies ([1]) have suggested that aerophagia is not the
primary culprit but that burping is in fact a learned (social)
behaviour.
The sound of burping is caused by the vibration
of the cardia (esophageal sphincter) as the gas passes through
it. The current Guinness world record for the loudest burp
is 118.1 decibels, set by Paul Hunn from London, England
in 2000.
In the Western world, audible burping is
considered impolite, although generally not as much as flatulence.
Some people will cover the mouth with their hand in the
same fashion as one used to guise a yawn. However, burping
is viewed as acceptable and humorous among young children
and some adults. Often times, children engage in burping
contests to determine who can produce the loudest burp.
They also burp songs and the alphabet.
Some cultures, for example, Bangladesh
believe that burping after the consumption of a meal is
a way of showing appreciation to the chef.
Learn
more about burping here.
Image credits (from left): Digestive
System path; Vesalius
anatomy lesson;
woman with her alimentary canal ; The
Food Museum collection;
The Quest to Digest
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