Australians rate their farts for gut health

Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO, has launched an unusual and amusing citizen science project with a serious goal.

The Chart Your Fart app invites Australians aged 14 and over to track their flatulence for three days.

While it may sound like a joke, this project aims to improve our understanding of gut health through crowdsourced data collection.

Farts with flair: Logging stench, sound, and more

The app doesn’t just record the act of passing gas; it digs deep into its characteristics. Participants are asked to rate their farts on a variety of scales, including stench (odorless to toxic), loudness (silent to deafening), duration (brief to eternity), smell longevity (fleeting to perpetual), and detectability (discreet to blatant).

“Passing wind is a natural occurrence and a sign that our digestive system is working as it should, to expel excess gas that is produced from breaking down and processing the food we eat,” explained CSIRO Research Dietitian Megan Rebuli.

She added, “Different foods, medical conditions, or even the way we chew or swallow can impact how our body processes the gas, leading to different smells, frequency, or volume.”

The initiative builds on a 2021 gut health study, which found that 60% of Australians report excessive flatulence, with nearly half experiencing it on most days. By adding humor to the mix, the app encourages broad participation, making research accessible and engaging.

Anonymous, yet scientific: A data-driven effort

Participants remain anonymous, identified only by codes within the app. However, users must provide an email address to join. Alongside flatulence ratings, participants log personal factors like age, sex, and recent dietary changes, providing nuanced insights into the causes of flatulence.

Dr Emily Brindal, Project Lead and CSIRO Behavioural Scientist, emphasized the importance of public involvement in research. “Research is only as good as the data we have, and we want to work with as much of our diverse Australian community as we can to drive innovation in health and wellbeing research,” she said.

“We want to showcase the potential of public-led research and ask the community to come on board with shaping our future health and wellbeing science.”

The Chart Your Fart initiative highlights how everyday habits, from chewing gum to consuming carbonated drinks, influence gas production. Foods like broccoli, cabbage, eggs, and beer can spike the app’s “toxicity” scale, offering participants a chance to learn about their gut health in real time.

A universal language: The lighter side of science

As participants record their experiences, the app injects humor into what could be an awkward topic. It even provides users with an expansive vocabulary for flatulence, proving that the CSIRO team had plenty of fun developing the project.

Brindal added, “We rely on the public to share their experience with us for so much of our health and wellbeing research, but we also want to hear what research the community wants us to do. It is about keeping it real and relevant, but why not have some fun too?”

As Australians embrace the app, some might treat it as a competition, given the national knack for turning anything into sport. For now, the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases reports that 8-14 daily farts are normal, with up to 25 still within the healthy range.