Excess gas when should you worry

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]I have a lot of patients that come to my office that are worried that they're farting too much or that their partner is farting too much, and this is a legit question, right? But my answer in clinic most of the time is that farting too much is completely normal, and I'll explain to you why. Our gut on average can produce 1.5 L of gas per day. But depending on the diet of a patient, the colonic transit of a patient, and the size of the patient, this can increase to 3 L a day, and in some physiologic states even 5 L a day. Meaning a person can fart anywhere from 10 times to 50 times, and it can still be normal. Yeah.

[00:00:30]Where does this gas come from? Well, mostly from colonic fermentation of the foods that you eat, like carbs, like fiber that is broken down into hydrogen, into CO2, and into methane. When is it not normal? It's not about the number, it's about the symptoms that this comes associated with. And you should always check with a doctor if you're experiencing significant bloating that doesn't really go away, or any new or worsening abdominal pain, or unintentional weight loss, or changes in your bowel habits, or blood in your stool, right? Or a severe change or a difference from what your normal is.

[00:00:57]These can signal things like, you know, lactose intolerance or celiac disease or IBS or SIBO, but other more serious GI pathology can be a cause. But otherwise, usually a lot of gas is normal. So, fart away.