A national study led by the University of Maryland is recruiting volunteers to help record and analyze the full spectrum of human farts, scitechdaily reports. Researchers have unveiled what they call "smart briefs," the first wearable device specifically designed to measure human farts.
The device monitors the hydrogen released in farts using hidden sensors, giving scientists an objective means of studying a body function that has long relied on guesswork and self-reported data. In addition to counting the frequency of farts, this technology can also observe the activity of intestinal microorganisms in daily life.
Flatulence is a common medical complaint, but doctors have long lacked reliable tools to measure it. Gastroenterologist Michael Levitt wrote in 2000: "It is almost impossible to objectively document the presence of excess intestinal gas using current testing methods."
To solve this problem, Brantley Hall, assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Maryland, led a team to develop a compact wearable sensor that can be directly attached to ordinary underwear. The device uses electrochemical sensors to monitor intestinal gas production around the clock.
The research team reported in a study published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics: X that healthy adults fart an average of 32 times a day. This number is approximately twice the common estimate found in the medical literature (14 ± 6 times per day). Individual differences were also striking: some participants recorded only four times a day, while others recorded as many as 59 times.
It is reported that human fart gas is mainly composed of hydrogen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and some people also produce methane. Hydrogen is particularly important because it is produced only by gut microbes breaking down undigested carbohydrates. By continuously monitoring hydrogen levels, researchers can observe how long and actively microbiota ferment food.
In the test, after participants consumed inulin, a prebiotic fiber that stimulates intestinal microbial fermentation, the device was able to detect a significant increase in hydrogen gas, with a sensitivity of 94.7%, showing that it can capture dietary-induced changes in microbial activity in real time. This type of monitoring may in the future help scientists better understand the impact of specific foods, probiotics or prebiotics on intestinal function.
To establish this baseline, the Hall Lab is launching the Human Fart Atlas project. The project will use smart underwear to track gas production in hundreds of adults across the United States. Participants can sign up remotely and have devices mailed to their homes, allowing data to be collected from a wide and diverse population. Researchers will analyze patterns over a 24-hour period and compare the results to the participants' diet and microbiome characteristics. The goal was to determine typical farting among adults aged 18 and older in the United States.
Preliminary findings have revealed distinct groups:
Excellent digestion: People who eat a high-fiber diet (25–38 grams of fiber daily) but rarely fart. Researchers believe that such groups may shed light on how gut microbes adapt to high-fiber dietary patterns.
High Hydrogen Producers: People who fart frequently. Studying such groups can help scientists understand the biological and microbial factors that lead to high gas production.
Average person: The amount of farts falls somewhere in between, representing the middle range of typical digestive patterns.
