It's not customary to talk about it aloud, but no one can do without it. A team of scientists from the University of Maryland decided to bring the topic out of the shadows and for the first time accurately measure how many times a day people pass gas. The result surprised even the researchers themselves.
Photo: Getty Images
For a long time, the topic of flatulence remained understudied due to the difficulty of data collection. Previously, doctors relied on patient self-observation, but this method is unreliable: people often forget to record such moments or simply don't notice them, especially during sleep. Alternatives included short-term laboratory studies with invasive procedures — for example, using rectal tubes to collect gases. Therefore, objective measurement was long considered almost impossible.
To solve this problem, a team of scientists from the University of Maryland in Baltimore (USA) developed a compact device the size of a coin. The sensor with an electrochemical sensor attaches to regular underwear and throughout the day records the concentration of hydrogen — a gas produced exclusively by microbes in our gut.
Underwear with gas sensor. Photo: University of Maryland
In a pilot trial, writes Daily Mail, 19 adult volunteers participated, wearing the device while awake for a week. More than 80% of participants confirmed the gadget's comfort and noted they would be willing to use it on a doctor's recommendation.
To check the device's accuracy, participants were offered to eat candies with inulin — a prebiotic fiber that stimulates the activity of gut bacteria. The device recorded an increase in hydrogen production with 94.7% accuracy.
Unexpected results
The measurement results were unexpected: the sensors recorded gas release an average of 32 times over 12 hours. This is more than twice the 14 times that doctors had long used as a generally accepted norm.
At the same time, researchers noticed a very large difference between people. Two interesting groups stood out.
On one pole — the so-called "Hydrogen Hyperproducers". Their body produces 40 to 50 portions of gas daily.
On the other — "Zen Digesters". They can consume a lot of fiber — from 25 to 38 grams per day — and yet pass gas only four times in 12 hours. Their digestive system remains almost "silent".
Photo: University of Maryland
Why all this?
While the topic may seem comical, researchers emphasize its practical significance. For doctors, it is very important to have a "baseline indicator". Just as there are norms for pulse, blood pressure, or blood sugar, medicine needs an accurate figure to understand when a patient's gas production is truly excessive and requires treatment, and when it is an individual norm.
Now scientists are starting a large-scale project called "The Atlas of Human Flatulence". They plan to conduct an experiment with a large number of volunteers and collect data on the connection between gas production and specific types of microbes in the gut.
This will help science understand not only which microbes live in our digestive tract, but also exactly how they react to various foods, probiotics, and medications. In the future, this will allow the creation of personalized diets for people with sensitive stomachs.
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