The battle of the sexes just got stinkier.
\nOn average, humans fart up to 23 times a day, but not all of those toots are created equal. Research shows that women\u2019s gas smells worse than men\u2019s, and there\u2019s a scientific reason why.
\nBut next time you catch a whiff of your wife\u2019s wind, take comfort \u2014 that stink could be a sign that they\u2019re less likely to develop Alzheimer\u2019s.
\n
\nStudies suggest that women\u2019s farts tend to smell stronger than men\u2019s, even if they pass gas less frequently. <\/p>\n
Back in 1998, Dr. Michael Levitt, a gastroenterologist and prolific researcher known as the \u201cKing of Farts,\u201d set out to figure out which gases give flatulence its signature funk.
\nHe recruited 16 healthy adults with no history of gastrointestinal issues and had each of them strap on a \u201cflatus collection system,\u201d which was essentially a rectal tube connected to a bag.
\nAfter the participants chowed down on pinto beans and took a laxative, the researchers collected their subsequent farts.
\nNext, Levitt and his colleagues ran a gas chromatographic\u2013mass spectroscopic analysis to break down exactly what was inside those bags.
\nThey also put the samples to a sniff test.
\nTwo judges were brought in to rate each fart on a scale of 0 to 8, with 8 being \u201cvery offensive.\u201d They were unaware that they were smelling human flatulence.<\/p>\n
Women\u2019s gas contains more hydrogen sulfide than men\u2019s, which makes it smell stronger.
\nThe researchers found that the main gasses responsible for the odor of human farts are sulfur-containing compounds, most notably hydrogen sulfide \u2014 the chemical behind that classic \u201crotten egg\u201d smell.
\nAnd while men tended to pass larger volumes of gas, the study also found that female flatulence contained a \u201csignificantly higher concentration\u201d of hydrogen sulfide than that of their male peers.
\nThe judges agreed, rating women\u2019s farts as having a \u201cgreater odor intensity\u201d than men\u2019s.
\nIt\u2019s no wonder women tend to get more embarrassed about their farts.
\nA 2005 study found that heterosexual men were the least bothered if others could hear or smell their toots, while heterosexual women were the most self-conscious.<\/p>\n
But here\u2019s the twist: Women might actually want to embrace their smellier farts, because they could be doing their bodies a favor.
\nThe hydrogen sulfide found in farts could have brain-boosting benefits.
\nWhile hydrogen sulfide is highly toxic in large amounts, small doses \u2014 like those found abundantly in women\u2019s gas \u2014 may help protect aging brain cells against Alzheimer\u2019s disease.
\nIn the body, hydrogen sulfide plays a role in many functions, including helping brain cells communicate by chemically tweaking proteins in a process called sulfhydration.
\nStudies show that sulfhydration levels decline with age, a trend that is even more pronounced in patients with Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n
In a 2021 study, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine ran experiments on mice genetically engineered to mimic human Alzheimer\u2019s disease. They injected the rodents with a hydrogen sulfide\u2013carrying compound called NaGYY and monitored changes in their memory and motor function over 12 weeks.
\nBehavioral tests showed that hydrogen sulfide improved cognitive and motor function by 50% compared with untreated mice.
\nThe treated mice were also better at remembering the locations of platform exits and appeared more physically active than their untreated counterparts.
\nNotably, the results suggested that some behavioral effects of Alzheimer\u2019s could be reversed by introducing hydrogen sulfide \u2014 though it\u2019s still unclear whether the same would hold true in humans.<\/p>\n
So ladies, next time you break wind, breathe deep. That stinky scent might just be a secret brain booster.<\/p>\n
Q: Do women\u2019s farts smell worse than men\u2019s?
\nA: Yes, research suggests that women\u2019s farts tend to smell stronger than men\u2019s due to a higher concentration of hydrogen sulfide.
\nQ: What is the main cause of the odor in human farts?
\nA: The main cause of the odor in human farts is sulfur-containing compounds, most notably hydrogen sulfide.
\nQ: Can hydrogen sulfide have health benefits?
\nA: Yes, small doses of hydrogen sulfide may help protect aging brain cells against Alzheimer\u2019s disease.
\nQ: Are women more self-conscious about their farts than men?
\nA: Yes, studies show that heterosexual women are the most self-conscious about their farts, while heterosexual men are the least bothered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to the Battle of the Sexes: Farts The battle of the sexes just got stinkier. On average, humans fart up to 23 times a day, but not all of those toots are created equal. Research shows that women\u2019s gas smells worse than men\u2019s, and there\u2019s a scientific reason why. But next time you catch […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":26172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-26170","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-wellness"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2025%2F12%2Fnewspress-collage-gtwguy7bx-1764859723314.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall%261764841827&w=1920&resize=1920,1279&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26170"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26170"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26173,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26170\/revisions\/26173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}