Farting can be embarrassing, especially when you are in public. It stinks and makes noise, so should you hold in your fart or let it out?
What causes farting?
Farting is a natural process, so don’t feel weird if you fart a lot. A normal person farts about five to 23 times per day.
Farting and belching are caused by gas buildup during digestion and swallowing air with food. Gas accumulates in your digestive tract if you smoke, use a straw, or eat hard-to-digest foods. It can also be triggered by stress, constipation, or digestive system issues.
What happens when you hold in a fart?
Holding in a fart can cause immediate pain, discomfort, bloating, indigestion, and heartburn. As pressure builds, stress levels increase. In the 1970s, experts discovered a link between holding in farts and diverticulitis, inflammation or swelling of pouches along the digestive tract. Unabsorbed gas is absorbed by the bloodstream and exhaled by the lungs.
![What happens when you hold in your fart [mentalfloss]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20width%3D'720'%20height%3D'405'%20data-ring-placeholder%3D'1'%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E "What happens when you hold in your fart [mentalfloss]")
However, if you are wondering why your stomach is so big, it could be from holding in your fart, as it causes a distended abdomen, which is when your stomach is measurably swollen beyond its normal size.
Can holding in a fart cause death?
Although it can be extremely painful and uncomfortable, holding in a fart might cause your death.
