Science paid people to sniff trumps to find if men's or women's were smellier - The Mirror

Result of an experiment in which 16 healthy adults wore a 'flatus collection system'

Science once forced judges to smell other people's trumps to find out the answer to whose smelled the worst - men's or women's

On average, humans fart up to 23 times a day, but not all farts are created equal, reports the New York Post.

This is the result of an experiment in which 16 healthy adults wore a ‘flatus collection system’ that measured their gas production after they consumed pinto beans and laxatives.

The gas was then analysed using a chromatographic mass spectrometer, as well as being subjected to an old-fashioned sniff test. Judges, who didn’t know what they were whiffing, rated farts on a scale of 0 to 8, with 8 being ‘very offensive’.

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It was found that the main gases responsible for the odour are sulfur-containing compounds, most notably hydrogen sulfide - the chemical behind that classic 'rotten egg'smell.

Men tended to pass larger volumes of gas, yet the study found female flatulence contained a ‘significantly higher concentration’ of hydrogen sulfide, meaning women’s toots have a 'greater intensity'.

The research, carried out in the late 1990s by gastroenterologist Dr Michael Levitt, had a serious side, as hydrogen sulphide (H2S) isn’t only a stench bomb.

In tiny amounts, your body uses it as a signalling molecule, and levels appear to drop with age and even more so in people with Alzheimer's.

In 2021, scientists at Johns Hopkins tested an H2S-releasing compound in mice engineered to develop Alzheimer's-like changes.

Over 12 weeks, mice treated with the medication performed better on memory and movement tasks than those that were not treated.

What really drives the smell?

• Diet: Eggs, brassicas (broccoli, cabbage), onions, garlic, and high-protein meals can boost sulphur compounds
• Gut microbiome: Your personal mix of gut bacteria helps decide what gases get produced
• Health and habits: Lactose intolerance, constipation, certain medicines and supplements (like sulphur-containing amino acids) can all turn up the pong

Separate research on social attitudes found men reported being the least bothered if others heard or smelled their gas, while women were the most self-conscious.