Scientists Say To Let Farts Fly On Airplanes

The next time you’re on an airplane and you feel an urgent rumbling in your bum, don’t hold it in! Sure, you’ll get some disapproving looks from your seat mates, but a recent study finds that holding in your farts on an airplane is bad for your health.

We know that you have many questions regarding this issue, so let’s try to address them all.

1. Yes, researchers actually put in time and money to release an official report on farting in airplanes.

2. No, we’re not joking.

3. Seriously, we’re not joking.

The study examines the belief that high altitude air pressure changes result in more gas building in the belly. But being the polite people we are, we tend to hold it in to spare those around us for getting a whiff of our smelly fumes. The study recommends that we just put the social faux pas aside and just let ‘er rip on the plane.

“(Holding back) holds significant drawbacks for the individual, such as discomfort and even pain, bloating, dyspepsia (indigestion), pyrosis (heartburn) just to name but a few resulting abdominal symptoms,” say researchers from Denmark and Britain in an essay published in the New Zealand Medical Journal.

And farting freely isn’t just for passengers – it’s for pilots, too. The belief was that tooting in the cockpit could be risky as it can distract the pilot. That meant pilots had to hold it in, even though it can cause severe pain.

And here’s another interesting tidbit that the study uncovered – it also claimed that women’s farts smell worse than men’s (shocking), and the average person poots 10 times a day.

With all this gas, the plane would get pretty smelly, right? Well, the researchers thought of a solution for that stinky situation. Planes should install seats with special cushions that contain charcoal, which can neutralize the odour. Furthermore, changes could be made to airline food to ”reduce its flatulent potential.”

What measures do you think could be taken to make airplanes sweet smelling? A no-fly list of gassy people? Perhaps Glade or Febreze could open an airline? Feel free to post your suggestions in the comments section below.