A 2021 Csiro gut health study found over 60 per cent of Australians reported experiencing what they identified as excessive flatulence. - PEXELS
SYDNEY: A government scientific agency has asked Australians to “track their farts” – all in the name of gut health.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (Csiro) said the move will help scientists better understand the frequency and characteristics of one of the leading gut health symptoms experienced by Australians.
While passing wind is a normal bodily function, a 2021 gut health study by the organisation found over 60 per cent of Australians reported experiencing what they identified as excessive flatulence, with up to 43 per cent having it on most days.
Using the free Chart Your Fart phone app developed by Csiro, people aged 14 and above can track and record their flatulence for at least three days.
They will need to track the quantity and quality of their outputs, including attributes such as loudness (ranging from silent to deafening), stench (odourless to toxic), duration of fart (brief to eternity), duration of smell (fleeting to perpetual) and detectability (discrete to blatant).
“By sharing their fluffs, people will help to create a chart of what ‘normal’ wind may look like in different groups of Australians,” the agency said on Nov 15..
Csiro research dietitian Megan Rebuli said that while some can find farts embarrassing and uncomfortable, healthy bodies are meant to let them go.
“Passing wind is a natural occurrence and a sign that our digestive system is working as it should, to expel excess gas that is produced from breaking down and processing the food we eat,” Rebuli said in the statement.
“Talking about diet often leads into discussion about the other end of eating. Different foods, medical conditions, or even the way we chew, or swallow, can have an impact on how our body processes the excess gas, leading to different smells, frequency or even volume.”
The Chart Your Fart campaign is part of a newly launched public-led research initiative being driven by Csiro’s health and wellbeing researchers in the citizen science space.
Project lead and behavioural scientist, Dr Emily Brindal, said when it comes to health and wellbeing, society can contribute personal experiences and observations that can better inform research.
“Research is only as good as the data we have, and we want to work with as much of our diverse Australian community as we can to drive innovation in health and wellbeing research and deliver meaningful outcomes,” Dr Brindal said.
Some Australians are divided about the campaign.
A Queensland-based doctor, who did not want to be named, told The Straits Times that he does not see how documenting farts will be useful as they’re “dynamic”.
“It’s influenced by what we eat and drink. And some people tend to fart more than others due to the body’s physiology. It won’t really tell much about gut health in the long-term,” said the doctor.
Robert Powell, 55, a supply chain specialist based in Singapore, said he will not be recording his farts.
“I don’t fart that much... I only get a tummy ache and farts if I take food such as cheese and milk, but that is no longer a problem since I changed my diet to avoid dairy products,” he told ST.
Gordon Knight, who works in the state of Victoria, immediately downloaded the app and recorded his first “bottom burp” after ST told him about the campaign.
The 54-year-old communications officer had more reason to do so. He recently reintroduced high amounts of fruit and vegetables into his diet.
“My gut was unprepared for it - cue three gas-tactic days of unwanted methane production,” he said, adding that the app will provide a “fascinating” way to track guffs and help him ascertain what food will affect his gut. - The Straits Times/ANN
