The Conversation

Your weekly dose of evidence

Every so often I come across a research paper I can barely believe made it all the way to publication. Back in 1991, researchers in the UK tracked the farts of ten healthy volunteers. They wanted to see how much gas they produced each day (around 700 mls on a high-fibre diet), what it was made of (mainly carbon dioxide and hydrogen), and how many times the participants passed wind (an average of 14 to 18 times a day).

That study, and others since, have added to our knowledge of why some people are so affected by bloating. As Vincent Ho explains, bloaters don’t produce more intestinal gases than other people, but they may have problems with it passing through their body and getting rid of it. But, curiously, your level of pain and discomfort with bloating isn’t necessarily dictated by how much your belly distends.

Fron Jackson-Webb

Deputy Editor/Senior Health + Medicine Editor

One in six healthy people report problems with bloating. Alice Day/Shutterstock

Health Check: what causes bloating and gassiness?

Vincent Ho, Western Sydney University

People who bloat don't produce more abdominal gas than others but they might have problems getting rid of it.

From the archives

Nervous tummy: why you might get the runs before a first date

Vincent Ho, Western Sydney University

When we get nervous, a number of processes occur in the brain that are passed onto the stomach and affect the digestive process. This is a hangover from our hunter-gatherer days.

Do you need to take some painkillers with food to protect your stomach?

Ian Musgrave, University of Adelaide

It's long been thought anti-inflammatory painkillers need to be taken with food to protect the stomach. But a handbook for doctors has recently moved away from this advice.

Health Check: what happens when you hold in a fart?

Clare Collins, University of Newcastle

Holding on too long triggers a build up of intestinal gas that may eventually escape via an uncontrollable fart.

What’s the best way to go to the toilet – squatting or sitting?

Vincent Ho, Western Sydney University

Pauline Hanson’s concern about the ATO installing squat toilets to cater for its increasingly diverse workforce has prompted debate about the best way to go to the toilet: sitting or squatting.

Expert answers to serious, weird and wacky questions

Exercising during pregnancy is fine, so long as it’s not a tough new regime. from www.shutterstock.com

We asked five experts: is it safe to run while pregnant?

Alexandra Hansen, The Conversation

Five out of five experts agree running during pregnancy is OK.

Your plants would certainly love a drink this summer. But which water is best? from www.shutterstock.com

I’ve Always Wondered: is rain better than tap water for plants?

Ian Wright, Western Sydney University; Jason Reynolds, Western Sydney University

Plants can find it tough to get all the nitrogen they need, especially from Australian soils. But summer storms can provide an added boost.

Curious Kids: do cats and dogs understand us when we miaow or bark?

Quixi Sonntag, University of Pretoria

When it comes to their own "voices", studies show that cats and dogs use different vocal signals to communicate different messages.

Curious Kids: should I be scared of lightning?

Jasper Knight, University of the Witwatersrand

There are many reasons to be careful when there's a big storm. But there are also ways you can protect yourself to avoid lightning.

Curious Kids: how did spoken language start?

Mark Ellison, Australian National University

In the space of a few short years, deaf Nicaraguan school children created their own language. This example may give us a clue about how spoken language developed over thousands of years.

Curious Kids: will I go blind if I shut my eyes and face the Sun?

Jason Yosar, The University of Queensland

Simply closing your eyes will protect your eyes from sunlight. But looking straight at it can cause serious damage.

Top picks from the week

When considering harm to the user and to wider society, alcohol is much more of a problem than MDMA. Krists Luhaers

History, not harm, dictates why some drugs are legal and others aren’t

Nicole Lee, Curtin University; Jarryd Bartle, RMIT University

Most people assume drugs are illegal because they are dangerous, but the reasons aren't related to their relative risk or harm.

Although tiny houses take many forms, most are situated in rural or semi-rural areas. Jekka Shearer

Life in a tiny house: what’s it like and how can it be made better?

Heather Shearer, Griffith University

Tiny houses aren't for everyone, but most people who live in them are positive about the experience. Yet planning laws still make this way of life harder and less secure than it could be.

We need a new legal definition of ‘parent’ to reflect the diversity of Australian families. from www.shutterstock.com

Sperm donation is testing what it means to be a legal parent, all the way to the High Court

Hannah Robert, La Trobe University; Fiona Kelly, La Trobe University

Who is a child's legal parent? The question is at the heart of a case due before the High Court this year. It may have implications for children born via IVF or surrogacy, and the people who raise them.

 

Featured jobs

Associate Professor, Computer Science

Griffith University — Bundall, Queensland

Director, Work Integrated Learning

University of Technology Sydney — Sydney, New South Wales

Research Fellow In Ceramic Processing

University of Melbourne — Parkville, Victoria

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Deakin University — Geelong, Victoria

More Jobs
 
 
 
 
 
 

Featured events

Universities Australia Higher Education Conference

31 Constitution Ave, Canberra ACT , Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia — Universities Australia

Sydney Ideas: Tracking digital espionage

The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney

Sydney Ideas: Truth, bullshit and weasel words

The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney

National Wellness for Law Forum

Monash University Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia — Monash University

More events
 

Contact us here to list your job, or here to list your event.

For sponsorship opportunities, email us here