8 things your farts can reveal about your health

Think of your digestive tract as one long muscular tube – food goes in the top and the muscle contracts to push it along out the bottom. “Normally, the small intestines make strong contractions to sweep food into the colon,” says Dr Gross. But sometimes medications, infections, certain diseases (such as diabetes or neuromuscular conditions) or complications from surgeries can interfere with this “clearance wave,” says Dr Gross, allowing bacteria to get a foot-hold in the small intestine and overgrow, producing extra gas.