Flatulence

Flatulence consists of gases that are built up in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals and are released through the anus.

The gases are most often produced by swallowing air, and frequently produced by certain types of food, mostly the fibrous or starchy type and the person's digestive system's reaction to them. The list includes beans, yams, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, citrus rinds, chestnuts, broccoli, cabbage, etc. In beans, the most notorious offenders in this regard, the problem seems to arise from starch molecules resistant to digestion: when the polysaccharides reach the intestines, gut bacteria feed on them, producing gas. In the case of those with lactose intolerance (ie. most non-Caucasian humans), gut bacteria feeding on lactose can give rise to excessive gas production.

Breastfeeding mothers are advised to avoid gas producing food in their diet because breastfed babies can vomit when there is too much gas in their stomach.

Methane is the primary gas released; bovine flatulence is one of the primary sources of this greenhouse gas. As methane is flammable, some flatulence is as well.

In many human cultures, excessive flatulence is regarded as embarrassing and impolite, even to the point of being a taboo subject; and hence a natural subject for toilet humour: see Blazing Saddles, Le Petomane.

A lot of the humour focusses on either the smell of the gas (thus, the "silent but deadly" flatulence), or the wide variety of noises that passing flatulence produces. ]

There are many types of farts. Take the duck fart for instance. It's a fart that sounds like a duck quacking. Then there is the loud one which is referred to as a minor explosion. Then there is the sneak approach where one lifts a cheek and sneaks while other people may get up on both and give it a full blast.

If farting is so considered to be so disgusting, why do people find it amusing?