Breaking wind is blowing the lid off the definition of good health.

Source: au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/womens-health

Need to let a little air out of the tyre?

Don’t be shy, just let it out. Turns out passing gas can be a good sign of a healthy gut. Farting has traditionally been looked upon with disgust, embarrassment and – especially in the case of the nose-crinkling “silent but deadly” variety – linked to unhappy gut flora.

However, researchers at the Mayo Clinic reassure us that in most instances, tooting your own horn is simply an indication that your gut microbes are working away to keep you healthy. “Eating foods that cause gas is the only way for the microbes in the gut to get nutrients,” says study researcher and gastroenterologist Purna Kashyap. “If we didn’t feed them carbohydrates, it would be harder for them to live in our gut.”

Eating fibre-rich foods, like lentils and beans help promote the levels of beneficial intestinal bacteria. In other words, eating these gas-inducing foods helps to keep our gut microbes happy. When they break down fibre and other carbohydrates that we don’t digest, they produce gas as waste. This process makes short-chain fatty acids that boost our immune system, protect the lining of our intestines and prevent infections.

Not enough gut bacteria can cause disturbances in brain function, mental health and digestive efficacy, the researchers say.

In most cases, the gas produced by healthy microbes is odourless, made up of carbon dioxide, hydrogen or methane. However, if you eat a lot of Brassica vegetables, like broccoli or cabbage, some smelly sulfurous gas is likely to be mixed in – which can be enough to make an elevator ride quite unpleasant, but is no cause for concern because these vegetables have their own health benefits, like being associated with a reduced risk of cancer.

Of course having too much of anything can be bad. If the flatulence becomes painful or starts to interfere with your quality of life, Kashyap recommends seeing your doctor.

Ultimately, farting is very natural and almost always a positive indication of health. So go on, chow down on your lentil and broccoli soup and give your gut a thunderous round of applause.