Why does passing gas smell

Tablets or drops that help manage symptoms are also available, but they may not be recommended for all patients, including small children and pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Your doctor can help you determine which dietary changes and treatment options may be best for you. If you have had bariatric surgery, it could be that your gas is a symptom of a malfunction in the way your stomach is emptying waste into the small intestine. This condition is called dumping syndrome.

It occurs when waste is rapidly flushed from the stomach into the duodenum — either too early or too late — after eating. Nausea, excessive gas, severe cramping, sweating, dizziness, diarrhea, bloating and an irregular heartbeat are some of the symptoms of dumping syndrome. Waiting might only make your condition worse. Do you have questions or concerns about bowel health? Previous Next. The natural odor from these foods can also cause flatulence to be smelly. High-fiber foods often also contain more sulfur than other types.

One of the more common culprits is antibiotics. The removal of the good bacteria causes an imbalance in the digestive tract. The imbalance can cause a person to produce bad smelling gas. This excess gas can also lead to uncomfortable bloating and constipation. Constipation occurs when stool builds up in the colon or large intestine and cannot exit. This may be due to taking certain medications, poor diet, or other biological causes. The buildup of stool in the colon often causes a buildup of smelly gases to occur alongside.

This extra gas may cause bloating and discomfort. When finally released, the gas is often smelly. The digestive tract is responsible for breaking down foods into usable nutrients, which are absorbed into the blood. It also produces waste, which is passed through the colon. The digestive tract relies on several different components to do this, including its resident good bacteria. At times, the levels of bacteria in the digestive tract may become imbalanced, potentially leading to an infection.

The infection will often cause:. When a person experiences any of these symptoms, they should consult a doctor as soon as possible. Though not as common, a person may experience excessive smelly gas due to the presence of cancer of the colon.

Cancerous polyps or tumors can form blockages that cause gas to build up in the intestine. One early warning sign is when changes in diet or medication do not stop foul-smelling gas from occurring.

After 50 years of age , a person at average risk for colon cancer should be tested to check for colon cancer. In many cases, a person can try to treat flatulence at home. Often, changes in diet can be enough to reduce or get rid of smelly gas. These changes may require eating less of or avoiding several foods. The foods that need to be reduced or avoided will vary from person to person. In other cases, an individual may find that medication has caused smelly flatulence.

For over-the-counter medications, a person will likely find relief by stopping the product. For prescription medications, it is advisable to speak to a doctor about alternatives if smelly flatulence becomes a problem. In these cases, the gas may be due to an infection or underlying condition that needs treatment. A doctor can perform tests to find out exactly what is causing the gas and decide a treatment plan for the individual. For people whose gas is caused by food intake, prevention typically involves changing their diet.

A person can try tracking food intake and times when they experience excessive, smelly flatulence. They can then eliminate or reduce the amount of the food or foods that cause excessive gas. We release a fart either silently or loud enough for those nearby to hear. What really makes it bad, though, is the smell. While some folks can get away with odorless farts, the rest of us are not so fortunate. A lingering smell tends to indicate that they may be something else lingering in your stomach.

The odor comes from bacteria fermenting within your digestive system and has a cause somewhere. Some of these causes are more serious than others. When you smell the gas you have released, this is due to a chemical reaction in the digestive tract where certain gases are produced. Most of the gas released is fermented due to the bacteria in your colon, or even a lack of.

It is normal to have gas, as it is a natural reaction to digestion. Depending on the frequency of these farts, however, it could be anything from something you ate that doesn't agree with your digestive system, or it could be a result of a condition that is much more severe. If your farts constantly smell something rotting, take a closer look at what you are regularly eating.

Veggies and foods like broccoli and Brussels sprouts are high in sulfur and known to be the culprit behind the hideous gas smells. Below is a larger list of these foods:. Most animal meats and proteins are also high in sulfur. Your meats like turkey and beef, have high levels of sulfur in each serving compared to other protein sources.

When this sulfur mixes in your digestive system, it lets off higher amounts of hydrogen sulfide emissions, equating to the smelly farts you are experiencing. You may experience some mild abdominal pain when you overeat these foods, but the worst symptom is easily the smelly gas or farts that you leak out. If you eat many of these foods, reduce your portion sizes to reduce the gas build-up during digestion. This can reduce the smelly farts that you are experiencing. Another reason for foul-smelling farts is sometimes Celiac Disease.

This is an autoimmune disorder that happens when you ingest gluten into your body. Some digestive systems will react adversely to this protein, causing severe abdominal pain and excessive bloating. The most common sign of Celiac disease is excessive diarrhea that happens almost daily and immediately after eating the gluten. If Celiac disease is not treated, the symptoms will continue to worsen stomach and abdominal pain. The damage to your intestines could be permanent, destroying the lining and not allowing nutrients to be absorbed by the body.

This leads to malnutrition and unhealthy weight loss because the body is not getting what it needs to survive. Another disorder that is pretty common and the culprit of smelly farts is irritable bowel syndrome or IBS.