Holding in a fart won’t hurt you, but it can be uncomfortable.
Gas in your gut can be painful, and the sensation can be unpleasant.
Ultimately, however, holding in a fart won’t cause any permanent damage to your gastrointestinal system.
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If you don’t fart, some of the gas gets reabsorbed by your body.
Most of it, however, will remain where it is until it’s eventually released as flatulence.
The increased pressure causes the feeling of bloating and the urge to release gas.
If you’re ignoring the feeling, it means you’re hyper-aware that you should probably pass gas.
It’s the awareness that makes it so uncomfortable.
You eat and drink, chewing what needs to be chewed with your teeth.
You then swallow it into the esophagus where it drains into the stomach and gets broken down with acids.
The stomach churns the food and acid mix.
Gas can form early in the digestive process, often because you’ve swallowed air while eating or drinking.
The small intestine is filled with bacteria.
Most of the nutrients from our food are absorbed through the walls of the small intestine.
Different sections of the small intestine absorb different things.
Sugars, starches, and fiber aren’t completely digested in the small intestine.
Throughout the process of moving matter through the intestines, gas gets in the way.
The wave action of the walls of the intestine pushes the gas along first.
Holding in a fart just keeps those bubbles of gas in the gut.
Nothing of substance can really move along until the gas is gone.
How to Keep From Farting
What you put into your gut determines what you’ll get out.
Eating theright foodscan help you avoid farting.
The bacteria most likely to give you gas ismethanobrevibacter.
If you’re concerned about how much you’re farting, changing your diet can sometimes be helpful.
See your healthcare provider if you have excessive farting along with other symptoms like bloating and abdominal pain.
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