How smart underwear is tracking people’s farts

Everyone farts. But not everyone tracks their farts. Now, smart underwear is making a case for paying closer attention to what comes out of your body. Its creators said they hope that tracking flatulence could eventually give researchers new insight into digestive health — and how a person’s farts offer clues about what’s happening in the gut. Brantley Hall, the brains behind the smart underwear and an associate professor at the University of Maryland’s department of cell biology and molecular genetics, said the team’s “ultimate mission is to help people eat high-fiber diets comfortably with low intestinal gas.” In the United States, it is estimated that 95% of Americans don’t eat enough fiber. The nutrient plays a critical role in digestive health, blood sugar and cholesterol regulation, and maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. (That’s the community of helpful bacteria and other microorganisms that live in your digestive system.)